FedExCup update: Adam Scott on track to burst bubble again

WILMINGTON, Del. – Adam Scott has seen every version of the FedExCup Playoffs. He knows that, no matter the format, having to burst the bubble two times in one postseason is a tall task.

Returning to the TOUR Championship isn’t his goal this week, though. He’s here to win.

With the Presidents Cup a month away, Scott is looking for his first victory since the 2020 Genesis Invitational. It’s been more than two years since that impressive win at Riviera, which feels even longer ago since it came a month before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the globe.

After a solid Regular Season, one that included just two missed cuts but also was short on the high finishes that rack up the FedExCup points, Scott started this year’s Playoffs at No. 77 in the standings. A T5 finish last week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, his first top-10 in a stroke-play event since this year's Genesis in February, got him to Wilmington Country Club. He continued that good form Thursday, opening the BMW Championship with a 6-under 65 on Thursday.

Starting this week at No. 45 in the FedExCup, the 42-year-old Scott is well aware one swallow doesn’t make a summer. To get inside the top 30 and earn a tee time next week at East Lake, where he won the TOUR Championship in 2006 a year before the first FedExCup, he needs to threaten the top of the leaderboard.

He cleared the first-round hurdle given his round was bested only by his playing partner Keegan Bradley’s 64 and he holds second spot. Scott was projected to jump to 13th in the FedExCup standings at the end of the round.

“Last week I obviously had the same situation. I wasn't in. But I really focused more on trying to put myself into winning a golf tournament and just play as usual, and that would kind of get it done. It made me only have one focus, and that was on the tournament at hand. That's how I started today,” Scott said. “I've always prided myself on trying to win tournaments and managed to do that throughout my career, and it's been a while, and I'd love to get back there later this week, but we've got a bit of work to do.”

Scott has come up clutch with his putter this postseason. That club has become an underrated part of his bag. It is now an asset, not a liability. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting last week and needed just 27 putts on Thursday, making 111 feet worth of putts.

When the dust settled on the round he ranked third in the field gained 3.625 shots on the field on the greens. Only Bradley and Christiaan Bezuidenhout (67) were better. He entered the week ranked 45th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the season, a year after ranking 18th in that same metric.

“More than anything out of Memphis, I got some confidence out of having a result with maybe not my best stuff all four days,” Scott added. “It is a nice feeling walking on to any golf course when the confidence is a bit higher, and I certainly felt a sense of ease with that today.”

Scott has made eight appearances at East Lake in the FedExCup era but it has been three years since he last appeared in Atlanta. If he does make it back to the TOUR Championship, he’ll accomplish something that only one man did last year. Erik van Rooyen was the only player to qualify for the season finale after starting the Playoffs outside the top 70 in the standings.

“One of the beauties of the Playoffs is that there is enough volatility that you can have a couple good weeks and get yourself right in the mix,” Scott said. “No matter where, if I was at East Lake starting 10 back or five back or six back, I'd be there thinking I've got a chance to win the whole lot. That's a fun thing to think about.”

Scott paused after that line and realized he had actually let his guard down. After a wry smile he added, “In three more days.”

NOTES: Keegan Bradley dropped eight birdies and just one bogey to take the lead with his 7-under 64 and projects from 44th in the standings all the way up to third. But apparently, he wouldn’t know it. “I never look to see what I have to do because whether I play in this tournament or Sony or any tournament, I always want to do the best I can, whether it's 35th instead of 36th or first, whatever it is,” Bradley said. “I never feel like that helps me, I feel like it hurts me actually. But this is a good start, obviously.” Bradley is no stranger to BMW Championship success, winning at Aronimink in 2018.

Justin Thomas, who played at Wilmington in the 2013 Palmer Cup, shot a tidy 5-under 66 to sit T3 and project from 10th to fourth in the standings. The 2017 FedExCup champion jumped to six deep with an eagle at 14 but gave one back at 15. “It has the chance to be difficult. If it gets firm and fast this weekend, it could play a very championship-like golf course,” Thomas said. “If the fairways continue to get firm and you drive the ball well, you can have some short clubs and make some birdies. I think you're going to see a lot of volatility in the scores every day. You're going to see some 4-, 5-, 6-unders and you're probably going to see some 3-, 4-, 5-overs.”

Will Zalatoris, the top seed after his win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week, projects to keep his top spot despite an average 1-under 70. Two over at the turn, Zalatoris carded four birdies in a five hole stretch on the back nine before a bogey on the last.

Collin Morikawa backed up his T5 finish in Memphis with a 4-under 67 to sit T6 but currently only projects a slight increase from 20th to 19th in the standings. That might not sound like much but would actually represent one extra starting stroke at East Lake.

Xander Schauffele also sits T6 and 4-under but projects to drop from sixth to seventh in the FedExCup…

Corey Conners started the week at seed 29 and now sits projected right on the bubble at 30th after a decent 3-under 68 to be T13. “Obviously it's a huge goal at the beginning of the year to make it to the TOUR Championship. I would say I've had a solid year so far to give myself a chance, and just trying to have some fun this week, keep playing like I did today, and hopefully can play my way into the TOUR Championship,” he said.

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP BUBBLE WATCH

Here are the players projected to move inside the top 30 of the FedExCup after the first round of the BMW Championship and advance to next week’s TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta:

MOVING IN

Keegan Bradley (No. 44, projected to 3): A brilliant opening 7-under 64 gives Bradley the lead after round one and has him dreaming of a return to East Lake.

Adam Scott (No. 45, projected to 13): Sitting in second place after his 6-under 65 Scott continues his form from last week’s T5 and is seemingly hitting his straps at the right time.

Shane Lowry (No. 37, projected to 22): The Irishman was treading water at 1-under at the turn before rattling off three birdies and an eagle in his next eight holes. A final hole bogey left him signing for a 5-under 66 to sit T3.

Harold Varner III (No. 65, projected to 28): An early bogey failed to thwart Varner III as he notched up a 5-under 66 to sit T3 after the opening round. The affable character holed out for eagle on the par-5 14th from a greenside bunker to catapult up the leaderboard. “I thought it was going to be long of the hole. I was getting out of the bunker and everyone went nuts. I tried to acknowledge everyone, and I was trying to get out of the bunker and almost fell. Yeah, that was awesome.”

Russell Henley (No. 43, projected to 29): Despite playing the three par-5s in even par Henley birdied all four par-3s on his way to a 4-under 67 and sits T6. The highlight was an incredible snaking effort from 67 feet on the 15th hole but his 32-foot, 11-inch birdie on the seventh hole was pretty decent also.

MOVING OUT

J.J. Spaun (No. 30, projected to 31): After surrendering the 54-hole lead last week with a dismal 78 Spaun looked set to be making up the numbers here in Wilmington after sitting 1-over through 10 holes. But a lovely fightback of four birdies on the back nine helped him to a 3-under 68 and keeps his East Lake hopes in his hands.

Joohyung Kim (No. 25, projected to 34): “Tom” had four birdies on Thursday but the young Korean star who is riding the wave of his Wyndham win also had four bogeys for an even par 71.

Davis Riley (No. 26, projected to 37): Rookie Riley could only find one birdie on his round to go with seven bogeys. A 6-over 77 puts his East Lake dream under threat but with no cut this week he has time to grind it back.

Sahith Theegala (No. 27, projected to 38): A 1-over 72 has Theegala under the pump for the next three days as he tries to protect a place at East Lake. A mental lapse on the par-3 13th was costly as he four-putted from 56-feet for a double bogey.

Kevin Kisner (No. 28, projected to 39): Two birdies were cancelled out by two bogeys around the turn in Kisner’s 71, leaving him around three strokes back of his projected advancement zone.