The seemingly ageless Adam Scott is on course for the extraordinarily rare feat of completing a European tour event without recording a single bogey – but he still thinks it will take a “miracle” for him to win the Abu Dhabi Championship.
After three rounds, Australia’s 46-year-old former Masters champion still hasn’t dropped a shot as he lies on 15-under-par, just three off the lead in fifth place in the chase for the $US1.53million ($A2.22 million) first prize.
It’s set up the prospect that Scott could become the first player since Swede Jesper Parnevik won the 1995 Scandinavian Masters to go through 72 holes in flawless fashion, without recording a single bogey.
“I’m playing pretty solid,” shrugged Scott, rather understating the case.
If he wasn’t getting too excited, it was that, in the hunt for victory a quarter of a century since he first won on the European tour, three Ryder Cup luminaries – Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy – are ahead of him going into the final round at the Yas Links course.
“Yeah, it’d be fantastic, but it’d be a bit of a miracle,” said Scott, pondering the prospect of victory.
“There’s some pretty serious names in front of me, but you never know. You can catch a hot round out here. We saw a couple of hot rounds the first two days, and it’d be great to do it tomorrow.”
Leading the way is Spanish superstar Rahm, who shot a six-under-par 66 to move on to 18-under, with Hatton (67) and Italian Francesco Laporta (67) a shot behind and Masters champ McIlroy on 16-under after also shooting five-under on ‘moving day’.
Scott is lurking next, having improved every day with 68, 67 and, on Saturday, a 66. Chances are he will need to keep the progression going with a 65 or better on Sunday to clinch victory.
“I’ve hit it pretty good, really. I’ve hit a lot of greens. Obviously, I haven’t had a three-putt, but I haven’t made everything either, so there haven’t been that many birdies considering how many looks I’ve had.
“I need a hot day with the putter tomorrow and the only adjustment I really need to make is probably just be a little more aggressive with my putting.”
The highlight for Scott was his birdie at the par-five 18th when he holed a must-make 13-foot putt to keep himself in with a chance on Sunday, when he’ll be alongside McIlroy in the penultimate group.
McIlroy is currently projected to rise to No.2 in the ‘Road to Dubai rankings behind Eugenio Chacarra who fired a five-under 67 on Saturday to move to joint-29th place on eight-under.
Northern Irishman McIlroy is after a fifth-straight tour rankings title and the eighth in his career, which would tie the European tour record of Colin Montgomerie.
