Adam Scott clears head, puts himself back in contention at The Barclays
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Sometimes it’s best to stop thinking.
That was Adam Scott’s reasoning.
The Aussie emptied his head whenever he got to the greens Saturday in the third round of The Barclays at menacing and sun-splashed Bethpage Black, not once contemplating his putting stroke, technique or grip.
It worked out just fine. After making a paltry 89 feet of putts in the first two rounds combined, Scott canned nearly 150 feet’s worth in Round 3 and raced up the leaderboard.
Worried about 10-footers a day earlier, Scott just took one look at his putts in the third round and then stroked the putter. And just like that, he started to see the ball disappear, with two 45-footers on the 12th and 15th his longest birdie successes. Scott made four more birdies and an eagle and signed for a 6-under-par 65 — the lowest round of the week and just one stroke off the course record. He sits at 7 under and two back of leader Rickie Fowler.
“It was pretty bleak out there,” Scott said of his putting the first two rounds. “I just decided to really clear my mind. When you’re not making them and they are always a little bit short, you start thinking about too many things. The stroke and line, feel, speed, all this kind of stuff. I just thought, forget about it all and just go with instinct.
“ … It’s just, once more than one thought or if any thoughts creep in the head, nothing works very well in golf.”
Scott was beaming after the round, in sharp contrast to how he’s looked after his rounds since April. After winning the Honda Classic and World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in back-to-back weeks earlier this year, his putting abandoned him and left him at wit’s end.
His great year had taken a turn for the worse and he didn’t contend in any of the four major championships that he builds his year around. Hoping to salvage the year starting at the first tournament of the FedExCup postseason, he changed up things starting on the 15th green in the second round.
Saying he had nothing to lose after leaving most every putt short up to then, Scott started to clear his head and make sure he got the ball to the hole. He hit good putts the rest of the round and it carried over into Saturday.
“I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve really been in the mix,” said Scott, who is third in the FedExCup standings. “I’m always finding myself five or six back from getting momentum. But a few putts went in today, that fixes that, and hopefully I’m in with a shout tomorrow. … It is a funny game, because I thought I played some really good stuff the first two days. Obviously didn’t get much reward, not making any putts at all. Today, although I still felt I played good, I just missed a few fairways, got some good lies. Managed to get them on the green and then dropped a couple bombs. Once a few go in, it changes everything.
“Hopefully I can keep the mind clear and free and the putts rolling tomorrow.”
Scott holed his second shot from 98 yards using a lob wedge for an eagle on the first hole. Then he knocked his second shot to four feet on the second hole for another birdie.
“And you’re flying,” Scott said. “The bad shots, I got away with, and the good shots, I took advantage of and holed a couple long putts on the back nine. That’s kind of the difference between the way I’ve been playing and today.
“Just a few went in.”
Make that, quite a few went in.