Winning US Open would be career ‘exclamation point', says Adam Scott
The Australian rolled back the years at Oakmont to put himself in contention to win a second major, 12 years after donning the green jacket at the Masters.
He fired a three-under-par 67 to climb up to three under, one shot behind leader Sam Burns going into Sunday's final round.
It has been a long time since the 44-year-old has been fighting for a major at this late stage of the tournament, but says the hard work is paying off.
'It would be super fulfilling. Everyone out here has got their journey,' he said.
'Putting ourselves in these positions doesn't just happen by fluke. It's not easy to do it.
'I really haven't been in this kind of position for five or six years, or feeling like I'm that player.
'But that's what I'm always working towards. It's not that easy to figure it all out.
'But if I were to come away with it tomorrow, it would be a hell of a round of golf and an exclamation point on my career.
'I'm playing good, so there's no reason not to. I'm playing from the fairway a lot.
'I've played fairly conservative, and I haven't really been forcing the issue much. Could be a different story tomorrow.
'A lot can happen in 18 holes out here. But I like what I've done so far.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Rory McIlroy ready for next challenge after ‘climbing Everest' with Masters win
Rory McIlroy is ready for a new challenge after 'climbing my Everest' of winning the Masters and has set his sights on next month's Open at Portrush. McIlroy ended a difficult week at the US Open on a high on Sunday, going some way to exorcising the demons of an Oakmont course that had tortured him for the first three days. The 36-year-old played his best golf of the week, with the sort of accuracy and guile that he would have longed for on Thursday and Friday, carding a three-under-par 67 to finish on seven under. It was not just the bruising difficulty of Oakmont which has left him feeling fuzzy-headed this week, though, as McIlroy still suffers the hangover of that career-defining win at Augusta in April, where he became just the sixth player to complete a career grand slam of majors. He has accepted that it is time to regain his focus and knows next month's Open on home soil in Northern Ireland is the place to do it. 'Look, I climbed my Everest in April, and I think after you do something like that, you've got to make your way back down, and you've got to look for another mountain to climb,' he said. 'An Open at Portrush is certainly one of those. 'If I can't get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don't know what can motivate me. 'I just need to get myself in the right frame of mind. I probably haven't been there the last few weeks.' Next month's final major of the year is just 65 miles from where he grew up playing at Holywood and it will be his first visit to Northern Ireland since winning the Green Jacket and completing the set. 'I feel like playing an Open at Portrush already (in 2019) and at least remembering what those feelings were like and those feelings that I was probably unprepared for at the time,' he said. 'Obviously it will be my first time sort of in public back home after winning the Masters. It should be a really nice week. 'Hopefully I can celebrate with them on Sunday night with the Claret Jug and the Green Jacket. 'It will be amazing to go home and play in that atmosphere and see a lot of people that I still haven't seen yet. I'm really looking forward to it. 'It was nice to end this week with a bit of a positive note with the way I played today, and yeah, I'll just be looking forward to and trying to get myself prepared for Portrush.'
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Rory McIlroy driven by his new 'Everest' as he targets emotional home Open win
The Grand Slam superstar is adamant he'll get revved-up for Portrush Rory McIlroy is adamant he'll be driven to climb the new Everest of an emotional Open success at Royal Portrush and a Claret Jug party in his homeland. The Northern Irish superstar finally found some positivity at Oakmont with a first under-par round of this year's US Open as he shot 67 to lift his morale. McIlroy's frustrations had boiled over at times during the week and he confessed following his Saturday round that he didn't care if he made the cut or not with his opportunity to lift the trophy and win a sixth Major long gone by that stage. The Masters champ also reiterated his gripes over the media during his day three chat after coming off the course, but he reckons feelings of flatness and frustrations will be zapped once he gets back onto European soil and targets a famous success at Portrush in the 153rd Championship. McIlroy said: "We've got a lot to look forward to, got our new house in London, play the Scottish and then obviously The Open at Portrush. Just trying to get myself in the right frame of mind to approach that. 'Look, I climbed my Everest in April and I think after you do something like that, you've got to make your way back down and you've got to look for another mountain to climb. An Open at Portrush is certainly one of those. "I feel like playing an Open at Portrush already and sort of at least remembering what those feelings were like and those feelings that I was probably unprepared for at the time. And, obviously, it will be my first time sort of in public back home after winning the Masters. It should be a really nice week. 'Hopefully I can celebrate with them on Sunday night with the Claret Jug and the Green Jacket. Look, it will be amazing to go home and play in that atmosphere and see a lot of people that I still haven't seen yet. I am, I'm really looking forward to it. It was nice to end this week with a bit of a positive note with the way I played today and I'll just be looking forward to and trying to get myself prepared for Portrush. 'I'm looking forward to just getting back to Europe in general. Obviously I've got one more week over here. Play Hartford next week. I think, look, if I can't get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don't know what can motivate me. As I said, I just need to get myself in the right frame of mind. I probably haven't been there the last few weeks. 'But getting home, having a couple weeks off before that, hopefully feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, will get me in the right place again. I feel like I got a really good feeling in my swing with the driver, which was great. Hopefully I can continue that on into next week. Physically I feel like my game's there. It's just mentally getting myself in the right frame of mind to get the best out of myself." McIlroy was swamped by emotion and support as he missed the Portrush cut in 2019 and those memories have stayed with him as he said: 'I didn't realise how emotional I was going to be at Portrush. I think that was a thing I was unprepared for more than anything else. I remember I hit a shot into 12 or 13 Friday night obviously trying to make the cut. "I remember the roar I got when the ball hit the green and I felt like I was about to burst into tears. Just that support and that love from your own people. So I was unprepared for that. I need to just get myself in the right frame of mind to feel those feelings again.' Before that, McIlroy was due to leave Oakmont and celebrate the remainder of Father's Day with his daughter Poppy as he said: 'I haven't seen her yet. She's a good sleeper. I was out the door before she was up. It's always nice to get home. I feel like I live two different lives. I'm a dad and a husband when I'm away from here and then I'm who I am when I'm here. It's always nice to get away and feel a bit of normality.'
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Eagle-eyed fans spot Rory McIlroy's ‘unrepeatable' magic trick in furious fit of rage at US Open
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RORY MCILROY stunned fans with an unbelievable trick at the US Open. The Masters winner has struggled in Pittsburgh this week and barely made the cut on Friday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Rory McIlroy threw his club in frustration 3 It bounced off his bag in bizarre fashion 3 The Masters champion caught his club effortlessly in a move that wowed fans He has been lashing out all week, throwing his clubs in a rage when things have not gone his way. After yet another disappointing shot on Sunday McIlroy went to throw his iron with considerable force. He hesitated and instead opted for a more friendly throw at his own bag, but the club sprang back up in bizarre fashion, allowing McIlroy to catch it. Eagle-eyed fans spotted the funny mishap and found it equally hilarious and unbelievable. READ MORE IN GOLF COR BLIMEY US Open star withdraws hours before start of final round after suffering injury One reacted saying: "Rory McIlroy entering GOAT club thrower territory now." Another added: "Unrepeatable 🤣🤣" A third wrote: "I'd like to see him try that again!" And another commented: "The nonchalance of the bounce back catch is truly something." CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS McIlroy has tossed his clubs around the Oakmont Country Club this week, with the five-time major winner also smashing a tee box as he allowed his frustrations to get the better of him. He snubbed the press after his first two rounds before declaring: "[I've] earned the right to do whatever I want to do." 'Oh wow' - Rory McIlroy launches club and smashes tee box leaving Sky Sports commentators disgusted at US Open McIroy, 36, said of his brief blackout: "It's just frustration with you guys [some sections of the media]. "I have been totally available for the past number of years. "That [driver issue] was a part of it, but at Augusta, I skipped you guys on Thursday. "It's not out of the ordinary as I've done it before, but I am doing it a little more often. "I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do."
