Adam Scott recorded the only bogey-free round at the Tour Championship on Thursday, shooting a five-under 66 and now at eight under par.
The Australian started the day at three under and improved by five strokes to move into a tie for fourth place.
“Everything was going well. I was putting really well and I felt like I had my swing under control,” Scott said. “It was pretty stress-free. I wasn't landing too far into the rough or in a spot I couldn't get out of, so that helps.”
The newly renovated East Lake Golf Club has plenty of firm, fast greens, but Scott was surprised by his low score: He was one of 11 players to sign with a 67 or worse.
“I thought it would be a tougher match,” he said. “I don't know if I was just warming up with some easy pins today or if there was something else going on. I didn't expect so many scores in the mid-60s.”
Scott opened his round with four consecutive pars, then recorded three consecutive birdies on the fifth, sixth and seventh holes, before adding his fourth birdie of the day with a stunning 14-foot putt on the par-four 12th hole.
The 44-year-old finished the round on a high with a birdie on the 18th hole.
He led the field in strokes gained off the tee with a +1.047 despite hitting the green with only 9 of 14 strokes.
Scott struggled with his approach play. The world No. 79 was beaten by a field score of -2.512 and hit the green in just 11 of the regulation 18 strokes.
But around the greens, the 14-time PGA Tour winner shone with a perfect 7-for-7 scrambling and 2-for-2 sand saves.
Scott was brilliant with the flat stick.
He led the putting strokes gained by +3.812 shots. The former Masters champion made a 123-foot putt, the second-longest of any player in the top 30 on Thursday behind Wyndham Clark's 131-foot putt.
His strong putter helped him avoid the drop shots, but who cares? He took advantage of a 3-under start and improved on that score. Scott wasn't the only player to make a big jump on the leaderboard. Justin Thomas shot 66 to move from last place to a tie for 14th.
Scott is in a great position to do something special this weekend in Atlanta if he can keep up the low scoring.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
