Adam Scott Challenges the Young Stars to Contend for BMW Championship

WILMINGTON, Del. – Adam Scott is used to hearing cheers of “Scottie’’ as he traverses a golf course. And it is certainly something he enjoys, the encouragement that has come his way for the better part of two decades.

But sometimes Saturday, Scott had to wonder.

He played the third round of the BMW Championship with Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, who is in a strong position to win the FedEx Cup next week in Atlanta.

Scheffler is used to hearing that cheer, too.

“I just pretend it’s all for me and feel like Mr. Popular,’’ quipped Scott, who has not suffered for any lack of popularity in his career.

The 2013 Masters champion with the smooth swing is now 42. He’s not won since just prior to the pandemic, a victory in 2020 at the Genesis Invitational that he believed would propel him to bigger things but only served as a reminder of how good he was at the time.

Now he looks around and sees guys like Scheffler and Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay and Joaquin Niemann on the leaderboard and knows it is a different time.

“I think it’s all for me to gain and nothing to lose,’’ said Scott after shooting a 2-under-par 69 at Wilmington Country Club to drop from the top spot into fourth, two shots behind 54-hole leader Cantlay. “I’ve kind of done a fair amount and I’ve been in these positions a lot.

“All eyes are on the World No. 1 playing with me today and all the young stars, and I’m the old man getting dragged around. I feel like it’s all a bonus for me. Playing with that kind of level of comfort is a nice thing. I’m still working hard and it’s not easy to do, but it’s a nice way to be on the golf course.’’

Scott has struggled to add to his 14 PGA Tour victories. He missed a short putt on the 72nd hole at the Wyndham Championship last year and then lost in a sudden-death playoff. It was one of just three top-3 finishes for Scott since his win at Riviera.

Like many players as they get older, Scott has found that life gets in the way. He and his wife, Marie, have three children. They are based in Switzerland but Scott often tries to get back to his native Australia. Pandemic restrictions made travel particularly difficult, and Scott acknowledged that it was quite disruptive for his game.

“I think there’s points in your life that there’s different levels of focus on different things, and it’s not for lack of trying, but trying to manage myself has been challenging the last couple years,’’ he said.

Scott and Matt Kuchar are the only players to make the FedEx Cup playoffs in each of its 16 years, and with a strong performance in Memphis last week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Scott was able to move into the BMW Championship field.

His tie for fifth helped him from 82nd in the standings to 46th – the top 70 qualified for the BMW.

The idea now is to get to Atlanta, where just the top 30 make the Tour’s season-ending event. Scott, tied for fourth, is projected at 27th, which means there is little room for error.

So far, he’s doing most things right, missing just 10 greens through three rounds, although he missed a few opportunities on the greens Saturday that left him shaking his head.

Still, Scott is right there with a stacked leaderboard to contend with that not only includes Cantlay, but Schauffele and Scott Stallings are a shot back. Scheffler is tied with Scott; Morikawa is three out of the lead and even Rory McIlroy is just five back.

Scott is focused on winning, as that takes care of everything. And opens up some opportunities as well.

“You can have a couple good weeks and get yourself right in the mix,’’ said Scott of the volatile playoff format. “No matter where, if I was at East Lake starting 10 back (in the strokes adjusted system) or five back or six back, I’d be there thinking I’ve got a chance to win the whole lot. I think that’s a fun thing to think about.’’

Scott has to get there first, and a tough Sunday awaits. He’s likely to hear a bunch more “Scottie’’ cheers during the final round, but even if they are for playing partner Stallings, Scott learned Saturday to act as if it’s all for him.

Either way, an Adam Scott victory would be a popular one.