Log In


Reset Password
Sports Youth Sports Professional Sports More Sports College Sports High School Sports

Scott is motivated by the FedExCup

After a disappointing lack of major victories, $10M could salvage a season
Adam Scott ran off four consecutive birdies in the middle of his round Friday, and then closed with an approach that settled a foot from the cup for a tap-in birdie and a 6-under 65. That gave him a share of the 36-hole lead with Cameron Tringale at The Barclays.

PARAMUS, N.J. – Now that the majors are over, Adam Scott is going after the only big prize left this year – a shot at the $10-million FedExCup title.

Scott ran off four consecutive birdies in the middle of his round Friday, and then closed with an approach that settled a foot from the cup for a tap-in birdie and a 6-under 65. That gave him a share of the 36-hole lead with Cameron Tringale at The Barclays.

Three dozen players were within five shots of the lead, a group that includes British Open and PGA champion Rory McIlroy. The world’s No. 1 player, going after his fourth consecutive victory, shook off some rust on the range and was nine shots better than his opening round with a 65.

Scott won The Barclays a year ago at Liberty National, and it felt like a bonus in a year in which he won his first major at the Masters. He never had a serious chance at any of the majors this year, and he is looking at the FedExCup playoffs differently.

“There’s so much to play for, and for me to be satisfied with the year, I need four really great weeks,” Scott said.

Scott and Tringale were at 8-under 134. Kevin Chappell (67), Jim Furyk (69) and Brendon Todd (69) were one shot behind. The group two shots back included Jason Day (64), Ernie Els (68) and Henrik Stenson (64).

Some scorecards needed more than just numbers, starting with Phil Mickelson.

Lefty took a bogey on the “five-and-dime” fifth hole, thusly named because Byron Nelson always used a 5-iron and a wedge. Mickelson, like so many other players, tried to drive the green and took a wild detour. His shot bounced into the grandstand, behind a row of seats on the thin carpet of the hospitality area. Instead of dropping into deep grass, he chose to play it out of the bleachers, right next to a half-filled glass of beer on a table.

It went too long, over the green and into a bunker, though it gave the crowd a thrill.

“It wasn’t hard to make contact. It was hard to hit it on that skinny little green and get it to stop,” Mickelson said.

He compared it with trying to hit a shot off the cart path, except the carpet “doesn’t scrape up your club as much.”

Mickelson birdied his final hole for a 72 to make the cut on the number.

Seung-yul Noh made a bogey by playing off the wrong green, except it turned into a triple bogey because he didn’t know that he wasn’t allowed to hit off the putting surface from a different hole. His tee shot on No. 11 was so far right that it landed on the third green. Noh took a divot off the green, and a rules official drove up and told him the rule, which comes with a two-shot penalty.

McIlroy kept his excitement to birdies. The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland said he took a week away from golf to celebrate his big summer – two majors and his first World Golf Championship – and paid for it with an opening 74. But the range session Thursday afternoon did wonders, and he went from below the cut line to within five shots of the lead.

McIlroy also made those “Freaky Friday” rounds that ruined so many tournaments a distant memory. His last four second rounds have been 66, 64, 67 and 65. That’s more like “Fun Friday,” and they’ve put the No. 1 player back in the mix.

“It’s a very bunched leaderboard,” McIlroy said. “I’m still five shots behind, but there’s a lot of players between me and the leaders – obviously, a few quality guys at the top, Adam being one of them. So I’m going to have to shoot a couple of rounds similar to (Friday) to maybe win this thing.”

Scott was so clean from tee-to-green that he shot 65 and walked away lamenting a pedestrian effort with his putter. He missed six putts inside 12 feet and played the par 5s in 1 over. No wonder he called that “some of the best golf I’ve played all year.”

“It just wasn’t my day (Friday) on the greens,” he said.

The top 100 from the FedExCup will advance to the second playoff event next week outside Boston, with the top 70 advancing to the third event in Denver and the top 30 going to East Lake in Atlanta for the Tour Championship and a shot at the $10-million prize.

Lee Westwood kept his PGA Tour season going – barely. He shot a 73 and made the cut on the number at 1-over 143. Because 79 players made the cut, there will be a 54-hole cut Saturday, only the second such cut in the playoffs since the new policy began in 2008.



Reader Comments