A spectacular round of 63, without any bogeys, at the BMW Championship marked a thrilling resurgence for Adam Scott, who found his stride in the Rockies’ high altitude, breaking a course record. His performance so far has positioned him as the midpoint leader of this critical stage in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs.
The 44 years old Australian golfer, whose last triumph on the U.S. circuit dates back to the early 2020 Genesis Invitational, has seen a significant uplift in his form during this season. Two spots among the top 10 in his previous three tournaments, including a second place in the Scottish Open held last month, hint towards a revitalised career. This could also potentially earn him a spot in the forthcoming lucrative Tour Championship next week.
Scott displayed a commanding game at Castle Pines Golf Club, a venue situated 2,000 metres above sea level. Here, golfers and their caddies must adjust their yardage books to account for the less dense air. His second round led to a 36-holes total of 13-under-par 131, placing him in an advantageous position in the tournament. Notably, others like Shane Lowry have also made significant strides.
Lowry managed to remain bogey-free until the Par 5 17th, where an unfortunate drive resulted in several rough shots and a rare off-mark shot from the greenside rough to the fringe. This sequence culminated in a bogey. Yet, he successfully earned his spot in the Tour Championship in Atlanta, confined to the top 30 players on the FedEx Cup standings, guaranteeing a share of the $100 pot. Despite the setback on the 17th, Lowry redeemed himself with an impressive 25-foot birdie on the 18th, scoring a second-track 67 to contrast his underwhelming opening round, which put him at a total of two-under-par 142.
The closing hole witnessed the only birdie putt of Lowry that came from beyond 10 feet, his impeccable iron play aided him in bagging birdies at the second, eighth, tenth, eleventh, and fourteenth holes. His successful approach play ensured victories at these holes from three, four, eight, nine, and seven feet respectively.
Rory McIlroy, ranked third in the world, failed to maintain distance control and also struggled with his putter, which resulted in a score of 71 for a halfway settlement of three-under-par 141. As a result, he fell a significant 10 shots behind Scott.
Scott, while reflecting on his performance, mentioned that hopefully, he had set a path for himself to make a significant push on Sunday. Interestingly, despite not having a fruitful practice session before the match, Scott remained hopeful. His aim was not just to maintain positive momentum but also to improve his under-par scores and keep progressing. As the match progressed, his thought process shifted towards how many birdies he could possibly bag. On the ligher note, Scott remarked about how such things tend to occur unexpectedly.
Scott shared his feelings about the week and said that he was playing fairly open-handed as he has nothing to lose. He expressed his wishes about moving upwards on the order of merit from his current “Top 50” ranking. He also jovially mentioned his eagerness to participate in the Signature Events of the PGA Tour next year. While Scott conveyed his desire to make it to East Lake, his primary focus, however, remains to win this particular event.
Over at the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, Nelly Korda, ranked first globally, continues to maintain her lead. She secured a score of 68 for eight-under-par 136, presently leading her competitors, the defending champion Lilia Vu and Charley Hull, by three points. Amongst the Irish players, only Leona Maguire managed to make the cut, standing tied at thirtieth position with a score of 145.