Scott closed with a 70 in the Valero Texas Open which left him tied-14^th overall in his first appearance in that event in six years.

The 43-year-old will attend the champions’ dinner hosted by Jon Rahm this week at Augusta National with eyes on another green jacket.

He is the first and only Australian winner of the Masters, having beaten Angel Cabrera in a playoff in 2013.

This week will mark his 23th appearance at Augusta National, a streak that began in 2002.

Meanwhile Smith’s withdrawal from the LIV Golf event in Miami after one round with an unspecified illness has put a scare into his camp so close to the first major of 2024.

The Queenslander has been top-10 in four of his seven starts in the Masters, including a runner-up finish in 2020, and he would be one of the favourites this week assuming he is fit and well.

He played just one round in Miami, shooting a 3-over 75 and then withdrawing, and LIV management did not make any comment about his illness.

Australia has six competitors at the Masters – Scott, Smith, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis and amateur Jasper Stubbs.

Elsewhere none of the Australians competing in the LPGA Tour’s matchplay championship in Las Vegas reached the top 8 with Minjee Lee faring best in a tie for 15^th.

Marc Leishman enjoyed a good week at LIV Golf Miami finishing tied-fourth.

PHOTO: Adam Scott driving on his way to a top-15 finish in Houston today. Image: Getty

RESULTS

PGA TOUR

Valero Texas Open

TPC San Antonio (Oaks Cse), San Antonio, Texas

• 1 Akshay Bhatia (playoff) 63-70-68-67 – 268  $US1.656 million
• T14 Adam Scott 73-70-70-70 – 283 $131,601
• T39 Aaron Baddeley 72-70-74-70 – 286 $37,260
• MC Harrison Endycott 70-76 – 146
• MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 70-79 – 149

LPGA Tour

T-Mobile Match Play

Shadow Creek, Las Vegas, Nevada

• 1 Nelly Korda d Leona Maguire 4&3 $US300,000
• T15 Minjee Lee 69-76-75 – 220 $28,369
• T18 Stephanie Kyriacou 73-76-72 – 221 $22,959
• T18 Lydia Ko (NZ) 71-74-76 – 221 $22,959
• T28 Gabriela Ruffels 72-79-72 – 223 $16,870
• MC Sarah Kemp 80-75 – 155

LIV Golf

LIV Golf Miami

Trump National Doral, Miami, Florida

• 1 Dean Burmester (playoff) 68-69-68 – 205 $US4 million
• T4 Marc Leishman 70-69-69 – 208 $833,333
• T32 Matt Jones 74-75-69 – 218 $153,000
• T37 Danny Lee (NZ) 76-72-72 – 220 $141,500
• T51 Lucas Herbert 73-77-81 – 231 $55,000
• 54 Ben Campbell (NZ) 71-73 – 144 $50,000
• WD Cameron Smith *

*Smith withdrew with illness after round 1 and Campbell substituted in for rounds two and three

Korn Ferry Tour

Club Car Championship

The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (Deer Creek), Savannah, Georgia

• 1 Rob Oppenheim 70-67-70-67 – 274 $US180,000
• MC Rhein Gibson 72-72 – 144
• MC Brett Drewitt 72-75 – 147
• MC Curtis Luck 77-70 – 147
• MC Dimi Papadatos 82-79 – 161