Three birdies on his back nine saw Scott sign for a second round of three-under 68 at Quail Hollow Club, drawing to within just one of the lead at eight-under held by Tyrrell Hatton (65), Nate Lashley (66) and Wyndham Clark (67).

Scott is level with fellow major champion Justin Thomas (67), Olympic gold medal winner Xander Schauffele (69), JJ Spaun (67), Adam Svensson (67) and Presidents Cup team-mate Sungjae Im (66).

The ninth of the PGA TOUR’s new designated events, the Wells Fargo Championship has drawn many of the TOUR’s best players and Scott is thriving in the environment.

The 2013 Masters champion was voted the Chairman of the PGA TOUR Player Advisory Council in February and believes the new structure is delivering a major championship feel on an almost weekly basis.

“Each week we’ve had exciting golf tournaments coming down the finish with a host of top players and also some guys that are not necessarily household names challenging the top players,” Scott said.

“I think they have been exciting events, stacked fields.

“I certainly have had the sense in the players’ lounge or the locker room it’s like major championship golf.

“You look around and every big name is here. I think it’s been fantastic so far.”

Starting his second round from the 10th tee, Scott began with four pars before finding the water with his tee shot at the par-4 14th.

That led to his lone bogey of the day, a shot he earned back by getting up and down from right of the green at the par-5 15th.

He birdied the first with a putt from just inside 15 feet and then hit a wedge to two feet from 140 yards to pick up a further shot at the par-4 third.

Five pars followed before an approach shot from 201 yards to five feet at the 508-yard par-4 ninth sent Scott into the locker room with a fourth birdie for the day.

Sydney’s Harrison Endycott bounced back from a three-over 74 on day one with a superb five-under 66 on Friday to play his way into the weekend, Cam Davis (70) making the cut on the number.

Champion in 2018, Jason Day (70) wasn’t quite so fortunate, a double bogey on the par-3 17th effectively ending his tournament as he fell just outside the cut-line of one-under.

Scott’s fellow Queenslander, Rod Pampling, is also just one stroke from the lead at the PGA TOUR Champions Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Georgia.

Playing on the Greg Norman-designed TPC Sugarloaf, Pampling came home in a flurry with a five-under 31 back nine to be one of four players to post six-under 66.

Seeking his second Champions Tour title, Pampling trails Stephen Ames and David Toms by one shot. Victorian Richard Green is the next best of the Aussie contingent, tied for 32nd at one-under par.

An outward nine of five-under 31 provided the backbone of Maverick Antcliff’s second round of four-under 68 as he moved into a tie for sixth at the UAE Challenge on the Challenge Tour while Terry Pilkadaris and Kevin Yuan are in a share of 30th at the Maekyung Open in Korea.