Adam Scott hopes the thrill of contending at the Travelers Championship through two rounds helps him forget a sloppy US Open performance and ignites his focus next month’s Open Championship, which kicks off the business end of the PGA Tour season.
Scott’s confidence was running high with three top-10s in the four events he played leading up to the US Open before it took a hit at Los Angeles Country Club. Scott missed the cut by three shots. But a 62-68 start to the PGA Tour event in Hartford, Connecticut has put the spring back in his step.
“There is no doubt US Opens are demanding,” Scott said. “My performance at US Opens is nothing to brag about. Where it’s even par, I generally shoot over par. It’s nice to come back [to the PGA Tour] and make birdies.”
Scott’s 68 on day two at the Travelers, which came via four birdies and two bogeys at the par-70 TPC River Highlands, elevated him to 10 under par. He’s five shots behind clubhouse leader Denny McCarthy (60, 65).
The 2013 Masters winner is already thinking about next month’s Open Championship, where he hopes to deliver an elusive second major victory. The Open will be held at Royal Liverpool, where Scott had top-10 results at the 2006 and 2014 editions. He likes what he has seen in his game this season, ranking in the top 15 on the PGA Tour for driving, an area that he has struggled with the past three seasons.
“Yeah, I do [like where my game is],” he said. “If I can just erase a missed cut at the US Open out, I had three top 10s in my last four events; everything was looking pretty good. Through two days [at the Travelers] it still feels pretty good. I would like to keep this going and keep notching up the results and try to make a big run the next few weeks into the [FedEx Cup] playoffs and get amongst it.”
Next best of the Australian were Lucas Herbert, who sat at nine under par following a second round 64, alongside Min Woo Lee (65).
Rounding out the Australian contingent was Jason Day (64) and Cameron Davis (through 14 holes) at five under par.
