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Adam Scott shoots a 62 at the Travelers, rebounding from a draining U.S. Open and leaning on smart recovery habits.
CROMWELL, Conn. – Adam Scott sounded and played like a man who was tired this week at the Travelers Championship, posting rounds of 2-over 72 on both Thursday and Friday. Coming off last week’s U.S. Open, where he was in contention deep into Sunday afternoon, that’s understandable. But the Australian, who turns 45 next month, appeared refreshed Saturday at TPC River Highlands and shot his lowest round of the year, a 62.
“I believe I’m playing this (tournament) well, but you’ve got to make some putts at the end of the day to shoot a number,” Scott said. “That was the difference between the first two days and today.”
While walking a rain-soaked Oakmont Country Club was wearing on everyone, for Scott, the mental fatigue of grinding and working to win a second career major was more mentally fatiguing than physically hard.
“Sunday last week was a real letdown,” he admitted. “It was draining — confidence and fatigue, you know? But I knew I had to play this week.”
Unlike most of his career, when Scott typically took the week after a major off, the demands of the PGA Tour’s signature event schedule have required a shift in strategy — and recovery habits.
That means not showing up at the course on Monday or Tuesday unless there’s a pressing issue. It also means relying on past experience — this is his fourth appearance at the Travelers Championship in the last five years — and taking it easy in practice rounds.
“It’s really about conserving energy and just having a bit of recovery, so that hopefully when you’re in contention the next week, there’s plenty in the tank still,” he said.
Scott’s putter, however, is where things turned most dramatically on Saturday. The 2013 Masters champion struggled on the greens Friday, requiring 34 putts to complete 18 holes and making just 40 feet of putts. Saturday, he needed only 25 putts, and the combined distance of those was just over 121 feet. According to the PGA Tour’s ShotLink system, it amounted to a four-shot improvement.
“I made one on one (from 21 feet) and freed up a little bit there,” he said. “You need a trigger to change it. You can’t do the same stuff and expect a different result.”
That trigger came courtesy of a quick conversation with longtime friend and former Masters champion Trevor Immelman, who offered a subtle cue during a pre-round putting session.
“It wasn’t technical. It was more just a feeling of watching the putt roll in my posture,” Scott said. “I think he liked the idea that I just kind of stayed down in the shot more, rather than just standing up to watch it roll.”
That freedom led to one of the cleanest rounds of the day. But finishing at 4 under for the tournament, before the overnight leaders — Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood — started their day at 9 under, Scott is not going to win this tournament. But in the grand scheme, that’s OK for Scott.
“I’m out here for a reason, so I’ll try and get the most out of it if I can,” he said. “I’d rather leave today with the confidence of shooting 62 than mailing it in and shooting 70 or 72 and not really getting anything out of it.”
Scott may have arrived in Connecticut with his gauge pointing to “empty,” and he won’t leave with the trophy. But he’s heading into the rest of the summer knowing there’s still plenty of game — and grit — left in the tank.
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