Adam Scott knows all too well how tough the final four holes at Atlanta Athletic Club are, so he has hope despite being five strokes off the pace entering the last day of the PGA Championship.
Scott and fellow Aussie John Senden finished at 2-under-par 208, five back from American's Jason Dufner and Brendan Steele who lead at 7-under 203.
Keegan Bradley is third a shot back at 6-under 204, Scott Verplank fourth at 5-under 205 and first round leader Steve Stricker is fifth at 4-under 206.
"You can make up six shots in the last four holes, so I think you can make up six shots in the last round," Scott said.
"But I'm going to have to play well, going to have to get the momentum going and minimise the errors."
The record last-round comeback to win a PGA Championship was seven strokes by John Mahaffey in 1978 at Oakmont.
But the tricky closing four holes at Atlanta have spelled watery doom for good rounds all week. Jim Furyk was leading at one stage in the third round only to find water and take double bogeys at the par-three 15th and par-four 18th.
The 18th is playing the hardest of any hole on the course, inflicting 37 double bogeys, 16 worse scores, 121 bogeys and only 25 birdies in three days.
"It's a fiddly finishing hole," Scott said. "It's probably a great par-five from 570, but it's a very fiddly par-four from about 500 or 480.
"For me to win this golf tournament, I'm going to have to hit two great shots in there tomorrow and make a 4 at the worst."
A double bogey at 18 in the second round proved costly in Masters runner-up Scott's quest for his first major crown.
Bogeys at the ninth and par-three 15th in the third round left him shooting only a par 70.
"I was playing well so disappointed to lose a couple shots," he said.
"I'm going to have to play a great round of golf to give myself a chance to be in the tournament come the end of the day. I still think I'm in with a chance."
Scott also does not mind the fact that five groups will follow him on the course, giving him the chance to post a number and potentially add to the pressure on the leaders as the reach the tension-packed last four holes.
"You can definitely make up some ground on the last four and if you have posted a number, it wouldn't be a very comfortable position to be in standing on the 15th tee with a one-shot lead and someone in the clubhouse," Scott said.
Scott will also have more of a luxury to go for broke, figuring anything that isn't first is the same sort of disappointment.
"It's pretty hard not to realise that I haven't won a major," Scott said.
"I'd like to. I've played in a lot of them now. But I've still got a chance. I've got no pressure on me. I just go out and go for it.
"As far as I'm concerned I've got nothing to lose. I'm here to win and win only and if I finish second or 10th or 50th it doesn't really matter."
AFP
Tags: golf, sport, united-states, australia First posted August 14, 2011 12:30:32
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