Adam Scott admitted it was “a fleeting thought,” but in the end, he let it go.
The smooth-swinging Australian had a great chance to break the record for the best round in a major championship, but missed a short putt on the 17th green and needed an up-and-down from behind 18 to finish off his 6-under 64 in the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday at Bethpage Black.
He was two short of Brandon Grace’s record 62 in the 2017 British Open, and one short of the 63 that has been shot 36 different times, including by Brooks Koepka in the first round here Thursday.
“It was a fleeting thought, but not happening at the end of the day,” Scott said, as he went to 5-under for the tournament, seven back of Koepka. “In the end, I was very happy to get it up-and-down for 64 on the last.
“Look, overall, you shoot 64 in a major, you’ve had a great day and I did today. It was a great start, and managed to keep it going for a lot of the day.”
The 38-year-old Scott is most concerned about adding a second major to his 2013 Masters victory. He has had an impressive career, with 13 wins on the PGA Tour and 10 more on the European Tour, but the one major seems like an underachievement thus far for his immense talent.
If he wants to add a second this week, he knows he’s going to have to chase down Koepka. And he knows it’s not going to be easy.
“Hey, if the guy can just keep doing that for another two days, then there’s not much you can do,” Scott said. “But I think someone, hopefully me, will chip away [Saturday] and sneak up in the right direction.
“If he didn’t have a hot day [Saturday], the gap narrows and there is pressure over whatever lead he might have or might not [have] on Sunday. I know he has won three majors. I know he seems impenetrable at the moment in this position. But at some point he’s got to think about it.”
If it’s an early charge that’s needed, it would be good for Scott to replicate what he did Friday. He birdied his first three holes and four of the first five, adding three more by the time he got to No. 14 to get his round to 7-under. Pars from there in would have made for a 63, but then came the three-putt bogey on 17 and so much wind leaving his sails.
“There’s lots of great stuff, which I had to do, and it looks like I’m going to have to do lots of great stuff over the weekend,” Scott said. “But whether I’m six back, seven back, equal [to] lead — to win a major, you’re going to have to do some great stuff over the weekend.”
As for Koepka’s field-thwarting style having won him two of the past four majors — and three of the past six — Scott is just hoping it doesn’t turn into a run like another historic one he had to play through in the early 2000s.
“It has to come to an end eventually, that good front-running,” Scott said, laughing. “Let’s hope it’s not 12 years like Tiger’s front-running lasted.”
