Scott's 'old-man par golf' has him in the hunt at US Open
Former Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia fired back-to-back rounds of 70 to stand fourth on level par 140 after 36 holes at the US Open at Oakmont (Warren Little)
Adam Scott finds himself sharing fourth at the US Open playing "old-man-par golf," and the 44-year-old Australian says he just might be playing well enough to capture another major title.
Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major tournament, has fired back-to-back 70s in the first two rounds at Oakmont to stand on 140, three strokes behind leader Sam Burns and the only player at par or better with a major title.
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"I feel like this is what I've been working towards," Scott said. "I was kind of in the mix late at the PGA, and now putting myself in this one for the weekend -- it's a long way to go, but I feel like my game is in good enough shape to do this."
World number 42 Scott became the first Aussie to win the Masters in 2013, beating Angel Cabrera in a playoff.
The most recent of his 14 career PGA Tour titles was in 2020 at Riviera, although he was runner-up last year at the Scottish Open and BMW Championship.
"Of course I'd like to win lots more tournaments, any of them, to be perfectly honest. I'd like to win something," Scott said.
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"I've put together a nice career, but I think another major more would really go a long way in fulfilling my own self, when it's all said and done.
"This is all I'm really playing for are these big events. There's probably eight of them off the top of my mind a year that I really want to win."
Asked how he would describe his career window to win a US Open, Scott said, "Ajar."
Scott, whose major streak began with the 2001 British Open, has the second-longest run of major appearances after the record 146 by Jack Nicklaus 1962-1998.
Scott admitted that his consistency at playing in majors might go underappreciated.
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"Maybe it does," he said. "But I'd be pretty proud of winning this thing on the weekend. That's really what I'm here to do."
Scott said he has quietly been building confidence.
"There has probably not been many signs to anyone else but me the last month or six weeks that my game is looking better, but I definitely feel more confident than I have been this year," Scott said.
"For most of the first two days, I've been in the fairway off the tee, and therefore hasn't been too much stress in the rounds."
While handfuls of contenders have charged only to fall by the wayside, Scott's old-man golf is keeping him in the hunt.
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"It's just hard out there," Scott said. "It's hard to keep it going when guys have got on a run. It seems like they've come back a bit."
Heavy rain drenched the course on Friday night, likely making the firm and fast greens more receptive come the weekend.
"The rain might keep it under control, hopefully, and spare us some frustrations," he said.
js/bb

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New York Times
38 minutes ago
- New York Times
Today's round three tee times
Follow live coverage of moving day at Oakmont with Sam Burns the 36-hole leader and Scottie Scheffler seven strokes back Associated Press Follow live coverage of moving day at the 2025 U.S. Open at a punishing Oakmont Golf Course. The third round is in progress with Sam Burns (-3) as the solo leader trailed by J.J. Spaun (-2) and Viktor Hovland (-1). They are the only three golfers still under-par for this tournament. Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms (All times EDT.) 9:12 a.m.: Philip Barbaree Jr. 9:23 a.m.: Cam Davis , Brian Harman , 9:34 a.m.: Matt Fitzpatrick , Andrew Novak , 9:45 a.m.: Harris English , Hideki Matsuyama , 9:56 a.m.: James Nicholas , Laurie Canter , 10:07 a.m.: Ryan McCormick , Patrick Reed , 10:18 a.m.: Ryan Gerard , Niklas Norgaard , 10:34 a.m.: Rory McIlroy , Xander Schauffele , 10:45 a.m.: Jordan Smith , Justin Hastings (a) , (a) 10:56 a.m.: Tony Finau , Marc Leishman , 11:07 a.m.: Michael Kim , Corey Conners , 11:18 a.m.: J.T. Poston , Matt Wallace , 11:29 a.m.: Chris Gotterup , Johnny Keefer , 11:40 a.m.: Maverick McNealy , Tom Kim , 11:56 a.m.: Mackenzie Hughes , Matthieu Pavon , 12:07 p.m.: Sungjae Im , Jordan Spieth , 12:18 p.m.: Ryan Fox , Robert MacIntyre , 12:29 p.m.: Taylor Pendrith , Trevor Cone , 12:40 p.m.: Rasmus Højgaard , Aaron Rai , 12:51 p.m.: Daniel Berger , Jhonattan Vegas , 1:02 p.m.: Cameron Young , Scottie Scheffler , 1:18 p.m.: Collin Morikawa , Denny McCarthy , 1:29 p.m.: Jon Rahm , Nick Taylor , 1:40 p.m.: Sam Stevens , Keegan Bradley , 1:51 p.m.: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen , Carlos Ortiz , 2:02 p.m.: Chris Kirk , Jason Day , 2:13 p.m.: Tyrrell Hatton , Christiaan Bezuidenhout , 2:24 p.m.: Adam Schenk , Max Greyserman , 2:40 p.m.: Emiliano Grillo , Thomas Detry , 2:51 p.m.: Si Woo Kim , Brooks Koepka , 3:02 p.m.: Russell Henley , Thriston Lawrence , 3:13 p.m.: Victor Perez , Ben Griffin , 3:24 p.m.: Adam Scott , Viktor Hovland , 3:35 p.m.: J.J. Spaun, Sam Burns Getty Images There's a strong chance of rain today — and even a chance of further thunderstorms. Here's the latest forecast from AccuWeather: 'Variable cloudiness with a couple of showers and humid. High 72, low 62. Wind from the northeast at 7 mph. 84% chance of rain and a 17% chance of thunderstorms.' In other words: prepare for carnage. Getty Images Now that the second round has been wrapped up, the gates have opened at Oakmont for the fans to pour back in. The USGA issued the following media advisory earlier this morning warning of 'extremely wet' and 'very saturated' conditions around the course. 💬 'Due to significant rainfall overnight, combined with the historic rain experienced in the weeks leading into the Championship, the grounds at Oakmont Country Club are extremely wet heading into the third round of the 125th U.S. Open Championship. 'While the golf course handled the weather incredibly well and playing conditions remain championship ready, some areas outside the ropes are very saturated. Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of all spectators, access to certain viewing areas of the course will be limited throughout the day. 'Please note that today's forecast has the potential of additional rain, and conditions may continue to evolve throughout the day. We will continue to monitor the weather and communicate any further updates as needed.' Ticket holders who decide against attending in such conditions have been informed they will receive a full refund for their Saturday ticket. Getty Images He's done it! Philip Barbaree drains the putt and he shoots an impressive one-over 71, +7 for the tournament. What an achievement under such pressure. He's left it 5-foot short… Eesh. Philip Barbaree's approach shot lands in the first cut at the front of the green. 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Round three tee times will be published immediately after the conclusion of round two. Getty Images Round two will resume shortly after play was suspended at 8.15pm EDT last night when lightning was detected in the local area. Thirteen players will be back out at Oakmont attempting to finish either one or two holes. Only three of those 13 players are on track to make the cut, which stands at +7. Thriston Lawrence ( pictured ), who led the tournament yesterday but has sunk back to +1, faces a nervy 4-foot putt for par on 18. Chris Gotterup is 5-over through 17 holes, meanwhile, and Philip Barbaree Jr. has work to do this morning at 6-over through 16 holes. Victor Perez became just the second golfer in 10 U.S. Opens at Oakmont Golf Course to hit a hole-in-one during the tournament, and the first since 1983, by acing the sixth hole yesterday. Check out the moment below. Very quietly, Adam Scott has put together back-to-back rounds of 70 to remain at even-par, which is now good for a tie for fourth place on the U.S. Open leaderboard entering today. The 44-year-old Australian is seeking his second major championship and first in over 12 years since winning the 2013 Masters. Scott joked with reporters that his major championship contention window was "ajar" after he completed his second round at Oakmont yesterday. One of the most stunning developments in a U.S. Open full of them already is the return of Brooks Koepka to major championship contention. After winning his fifth major at the 2023 PGA Championship, Koepka finished tied for 17th at the 2023 U.S. Open in Los Angeles. Since then, Koepka has failed to finish in the top 25 of a major championship and missed the cut at this year's Masters and PGA Championship. 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The five-year exemption to major championships Mickelson was given when he won the 2021 PGA Championship expires at the end of this season. Meaning that this may be the last time we see the left-handed golf icon on the U.S. Open. Two-time U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, meanwhile, is already done for the weekend. DeChambeau, who edged out Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst Golf Course last year to win his second major championship, imploded by shooting 5-over-par in his last seven holes yesterday to finish at 10-over-par and well beyond the cut line. Scottie Scheffler finished his second round at the U.S. Open on Friday at 4-over-par, eight shots back of the leader at that moment. He's not convinced he's out of it. 💬 'There was some times today where you feel like you could give up, just based on how difficult the golf course is, how my swing was feeling,' Scheffler said. '… Going out early tomorrow, maybe get some easier conditions than the guys late in the afternoon. 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World No. 1 and 2025 PGA Championship winner Scottie Scheffler is 4-over-par following a second straight rough day at Oakmont after entering as the overwhelming favorite to win this tournament. Rory McIlroy, who nearly won this event last year and won the 2025 Masters, nearly missed the cut entirely and went home early. But a birdie on No. 18 yesterday got his score down to 6-over-par, safely inside the cut line of 7-over. Page 2
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nicklaus and Miller's US Open advice -- patience and attitude
Jack Nicklaus, at left shaking hands with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler at the PGA Memorial tournament, advised US Open golfers to be patient and prepared for pressure at Oakmont, where Nicklaus won his first of a record 18 major titles (Michael Reaves) Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller, US golf legends who won their first major titles at Oakmont, on Saturday advised patience in the face of US Open pressure for potential contenders. Nicklaus, 85, won a record 18 major titles, the first of them at Oakmont in the 1962 US Open while Miller, 78, set a then-major record with a closing 63 to win the 1973 US Open at Oakmont. Advertisement "I was talking to some of the guys in the locker room a few minutes ago," Nicklaus said. "I said, Well, putting is the key out here. I three-putted the 55th green. I had one three-putt that week and I'm still ticked off I three-putted that one. That was sort of my mindset. "Basically you had to figure these greens out and not let them get to you, and be patient. One-under par won the tournament, and one-under par doesn't win a lot of tournaments today, but it did then." It might again this year, with Sam Burns leading on three-under 137, fellow American J.J. Spaun one back and Norway's Viktor Hovland on 139 as the only under-par players for 36 holes. Advertisement "Patience. Basically that's what you have to have," Nicklaus said. "I adjusted my play a lot to who was on the leaderboard. That's basically what I think guys do if they want to win. They need to know where they are, what their competition is doing and they need to be patient with themselves and play good solid golf." Miller said it was crucial to avoid Oakmont's deep rough but also to be able to cope with the tension. "You've got to be able to handle the US Open pressure," Miller said. "There's a lot of guys... that the thought of winning a US Open is a little out of their comfort zone, so there's only a certain kind of player that can win a US Open. "I thought the greatness of golf was the choke factor. I just still think the greatness of golf is to be able to handle pressure." Advertisement Both men won at Oakmont after playing alongside local hero Arnold Palmer and in front devoted "Arnie's Army" legion of fans. "The key was to beat Arnold Palmer," Nicklaus said. "I didn't know anything about Oakmont. I came in 10 days before the tournament and played a couple of times. "I finished second in '60 and fourth in '61 (as best amateur each time) and I sort of felt like this was my Open. I didn't realize that, as a 22-year-old might not, that I was in Arnold Palmer's backyard." Miller recalled his own travails alongside Palmer. "I had played with Arnold Palmer the first two rounds, which back in those days, was a crazy experience," Miller said. "His gallery, they were crazy. Crazy good. To get through the gauntlet of playing with Arnold on the first two rounds was pretty good." js/pb


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