Adam Scott intends to use his runner-up finish at the Memorial Tournament to feed his growing hunger to win a second Major championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links next week.

Beginning the final round trailing Germany’s Martin Kaymer by two strokes, Scott was instead overrun by a rampant Patrick Cantlay on Sunday in Ohio, the American’s 8-under 64 propelling him to a two-shot win over Scott who recovered from a shaky start to shoot 68.

With tournament host Jack Nicklaus waiting to greet the winner to the side of the 18th green at Muirfield Village, a dropped shot at the 10th saw Scott fall to 1-under on his round but he rallied late to put himself back in the mix.

A birdie from close range at the par-4 14th brought him to within three of Cantlay and when he birdied both 15 and 16 gave himself a chance to rein in Cantlay over the closing two holes.

Birdie putts of 16 and 21 feet at the closing two holes failed to fall, the Queenslander’s consolation a cheque for $US982,800 and confidence heading towards the third Major of the year.

Scott will waste little time in preparing for the 119th US Open Championship, heading to the Monterey Peninsula on Tuesday with renewed determination to add to his 2013 Masters triumph.

“Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t win this week,” Scott said following his final round.

“I’m going to be a little more focused over the next week, 10 days, before we start Pebble and want it a little more.

“I don’t know if that’s true. I want it pretty bad,” he added.

“I’ve got a sense of how good it needs to be to hold up down the stretch at a major, especially there.

“You’re going to have to hit some golf shots coming down that back nine there. If I can do just a little bit better, I feel like I’ll be right there.”

With a driving accuracy of 71.43 per cent in the final round and 83.33 per cent greens in regulation, Scott’s ball-striking is almost without peer at present but he pointed to improvements in his short game as an even more positive indicator prior to Pebble Beach.

“I thought my short game was really good when I needed it this week,” said Scott.

“I can’t just rely on hitting every fairway and green. It’s a very different setup at Pebble than here.

“Much smaller targets and I’m going to try to rely on every part of my game to be good there, and I feel it is good.”

In addition to Scott’s runner-up finish it was also a good week for Victorian Marc Leishman who had four birdies in his final eight holes to finish in outright fifth position, his first top-five result since the Genesis Open in February.

Aaron Baddeley moved up to 74th in the FedEx Cup courtesy of a tie for 22nd while two double bogeys in his final six holes saw Matt Jones drop to a tie for 41st with a 4-over 76.

West Australian Stephen Leaney continues to make a good impression in his maiden season on the Champions Tour, finishing tied for 21st at the Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines.

A top-10 finish was looking likely when Leaney began the final round tied for 15th and began with two birdies in his first four holes but dropped shots at the seventh and 10th holes kept his round in check, signing off with a 2-under 70, Kevin Sutherland winning in a playoff after a third round of 10-under 62.

Four-under through 13 holes of his final round, Victorian David McKenzie was also on course for a strong finish but a bogey at 16 followed by a double bogey at the par-3 17th where his tee shot found the water resulted in a 1-under 71 and tie for 33rd.

PGA Tour
The Memorial Tournament
Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio
2             Adam Scott         71-66-66-68—271            $US982,800
5             Marc Leishman   67-71-69-69—276            $364,000
T22        Aaron Baddeley   72-70-68-73—283            $87,360
T41        Matt Jones           75-67-69-76—287            $31,850
MC         Ryan Fox              75-72—147
MC         Danny Lee           77-71—148
MC         Jason Day            75-74—149
MC         Cameron Smith    77-74—151

Champions Tour
Principal Charity Classic
Wakonda Club, Des Moines, Iowa
T21        Stephen Leaney 70-69-70—209   $US19,584
T33        David McKenzie 69-71-71—211   $12,210

Adam Scott is confident he can claim a second of golf’s most prized trophies despite being caught in the slipstream of a dominant Brooks Koepka performance at the US PGA Championship at New York’s famed Bethpage Black.

As Koepka set scoring records through the first 36 holes, a second round of 6-under 64 put Scott in position to contend over the weekend, the 2013 Masters champion closing with rounds of 72-74 to be the best of the Australians in a tie for eighth.

In extremely difficult conditions Jason Day fought hard on Sunday with a 2-over 72 to finish tied for 23rd while Kiwi Danny Lee, who was sitting second to Koepka after an opening round of 64, struggled with a final round of 77 to be tied for 36th.

Cameron Smith had a consistent week while never being able to get anything going to be tied for 64th while Lucas Herbert – who made a lengthy putt for par to make the cut on the number – shot 73-75 over the closing two rounds to be tied for 71st.

The final 18 holes was expected to be a Koepka procession as he began with a seven-shot advantage, a margin that was down to five by the time he stood on the second tee.

He made four bogeys in succession from the 11th to the 14th hole – “I don’t know if I’ve ever made four bogeys in a row before” – which allowed good friend Dustin Johnson to draw to within just one shot.

Bogeys at 16 and 17 however stalled Johnson’s charge, Koepka righting the ship to get up-and-down from 70 yards at the 72nd hole to win by two shots, his fourth victory in his past eight starts in majors.

Beginning the final day just inside the top-10, Scott made bogey at the second and fourth holes but made a putt from just inside 14 feet for birdie at the par-4 ninth to turn in 1-over.

He dropped shots at 14, 16 and 18 on his way in but remained inside the top-10 at the completion of 72 holes, the 18th time he has finished so high in a major championship.

In his past four Major championships Scott has finished tied for 17th, third, tied for 18th and tied for eighth, instilling greater confidence ahead of next month’s US Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

“I feel like my game’s in a really great place,” Scott said after his second round.

“If I can get out of my own head a little bit and just play and swing, I think good results are there.”

US PGA Championship
Bethpage State Park (Black Course), Farmingdale, New York
T8           Adam Scott         71-64-72-74—281            $US286,000
T23        Jason Day            69-74-69-72—284            $95,150
T36        Danny Lee            64-74-71-77—286            $51,810
T64        Cameron Smith    73-70-74-74—291            $22,660
T71        Lucas Herbert       74-70-73-75—292            $21,230
MC         Ryan Fox              78-70—148
MC         Marc Leishman     74-74—148
MC         Brendan Jones     78-77—155
MC         Stuart Deane        82-76—158
MC         Craig Hocknull      82-77—159

The 2019 Masters teed off this morning and round one didn’t fail to deliver with Brooks Koepka and Bryson De Chambeau firing 6-under 66 to lead.

Tiger Woods was out early and had the crowds roaring as he topped the leaderboard before finishing Thursday at 2-under 70 and tied 11th.

The Aussies are well in the mix and certain to provide some thrills on the weekend.

Here is how each of our four players fared in round one…

Adam Scott – 3-under 69 – tied 6th

How:  Starting his round with six straight pars, Scott dropped a shot on the par-4 7^th hole but was quick to bounce back with birdies on the 8^th and 9^th holes to make the turn at 1-under the card.  Two holes later he made another bogey at the par-3 12^th but finished strong with three birdies in his final four holes.

What he said: “I know where and when my game is coming into really good shape and I can see it coming back and I think I got some good confirmation today with some solid ball striking."

Round 2 tee time: 1:05 PM EDT / 3:05 AM AEST

Cameron Smith – 2-under 70 – tied 11^th

How: Playing alongside Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, it was a shaky start for Cameron Smith who opened his 2019 Masters campaign with a bogey. He followed that up with five consecutive pars before finding his first birdie at the par-4 7^th hole. He quickly added another birdie at the 8^th before dropping a shot at the par-4 9^th to make the turn at even par. After 12 holes he was 1-over the card but unflappable, he went on to birdie the 13^th, 15^th and 16^th to finish the day at 2-under the card.

What he said: “It wasn’t the perfect round but a couple under a round here in the opening round is always good and I am still in it. I liked the way I stuck in there; there were a couple of times where it could have got away from me. I was over par for a little while there but I hung in and had a few birdies coming in with a few nice shots.”

Round 2 tee time: 2:00 PM EDT / 4:00 AM AEST

Jason Day – 2-under 70 – tied 11^th

How: Starting his day bogey-birdie, Day recieved medical treatment on his back on the second hole. Having re-injured it just prior to teeing off, things were looking tough for the Queenslander. However showing true grit he hung in there making his first birdie of the round on the par-5 8^th hole. He added a second and third birdie to his score card at the par-5 13^th and par-3 16^th. A late bogey at the par-4 17^th saw him finish still within a look of the leaders.

Round 2 tee time: 10:42 AM EDT / 12:42 AM AEST

Marc Leishman – even par 72 – tied 29^th

How: Starting with a bogey, Leishman got back to even par with a birdie at the par-4 5^th hole. He added another at the par-5 8^th to make the turn at 1-under the card. Disaster struck on the par-4 10^th when he made a double bogey but he was quick to respond with birdies at the 11^th and 13^th holes. A further bogey at the 14^th followed by a birdie at the 16^th showed the roller coaster Leishman was riding. A late bogey on the final hole saw him in the clubhouse square with the course.

What he said: “Very disappointing day. I could have had anything and I came out even par. Hopefully I do a little better than that the next few days.”

Round 2 tee time: 1:27 PM EDT / 3:27 AM AEST

Adam Scott’s resurgence returns to a happy hunting ground this week as the 2016 champion sets his sights on a second title at The Honda Classic.

The famed Champion course at PGA National in Palm Beach, Florida bares its teeth when the wind blows its strongest where Scott and Stuart Appleby are the only two Aussies to taste success in this tournament.

Scott is joined in the field by five other Aussies with Cameron Smith coming off a top-10 finish at the WGC-Mexico Championship and Rod Pampling, Matt Jones, Curtis Luck, Cameron Davis and Kiwi Danny Lee also teeing it up.

The subject of the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in December will likely be a hot topic in Scott’s group as the world No.31 – and current No.9 in Internationals standings – plays alongside good friend and Internationals captain Ernie Els and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Following an extended break over Christmas, Scott backed up his runner-up finish at the Farmers Insurance Open with a tie for seventh at the Genesis Open’s last start and has regularly contended at PGA National.

In addition to his win three years ago, Scott has finished inside the top-15 in each of his four appearances since 2014 and putting with the flagstick in seems to be translating into better results on the green.

A premium ball-striker, Scott is currently ranked 18th in Strokes Gained: Putting on the PGA TOUR and has made ground on the field with his flagstick in each of his past four starts.

A hot week with the putter in Mexico saw Smith climb from 36th to 20th in the Strokes Gained: Putting statistic, a nice confidence boost at a course where par saves are integral in maintaining momentum.

The Champions Tour moves to Tucson, Arizona this week where David McKenzie is the sole Australian in a field that also includes Major League Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz.

Adam Scott has become the first Australian to pass $50 million in career earnings on the PGA TOUR but it’s what his solo second at the Farmers Insurance Open signifies that has the Queenslander most excited.

A new grip and tactic of leaving the flagstick in paid immediate dividends on the greens as Scott converted spectacular iron play into four straight birdies to round out the tournament, falling two shots shy of world No.1 Justin Rose at 21-under par.

The cheque for outright second of $766,800 – his best result since winning the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March 2016 – boosted his career earnings on the PGA TOUR to $50,184,193 to sit seventh on the all-time list.

Torrey Pines once again proved to be fertile ground for the Australians in the field with two-time champion Jason Day’s 5-under 67 in the final round lifting him into a tie for fifth and Cameron Smith delivering the round of the day – a 7-under 65 – to climb 39 spots and into a tie for ninth.

It was also a strong finish for Matt Jones whose tie for 13th was his best finish since a tie for 12th at the John Deere Classic last July while Marc Leishman (T43), John Senden and Cameron Davis (both T57) also qualifying for the weekend.

Trailing Rose by three strokes at the start of the day, Scott knew that even his best might not be good enough to reign in the in-form Englishman and took until late to convert opportunities into birdies.

An “inconceivable miss” from inside two feet cost Scott a shot at the par-4 5th, earning it back with a birdie at the ninth as he made the turn in even par.

A laser-like 4-iron at the par-3 11th wasn’t converted and another missed opportunity at the par-5 13th meant that he failed to make up ground on the runaway leader.

Four birdies coming home – including a brilliant approach to the par-4 17th – was a great way to complete his second start of the year and injects some confidence as the PGA TOUR builds to the run of big tournaments starting with The Players Championship in March.

“It was a bit of a grind leading up to the (US) PGA Championship last year, and to get back in contention was definitely good for the confidence,” Scott said of his third-place finish at Bellerive Country Club last August.

“And the other thing I took from it was it felt like that’s where I’m meant to be. I felt like I was in the right place and I wasn’t worried about being in contention.

“I’ve done it a lot. It’s just been a bit of a grind to get my game back up to this level, but now I’m starting to see it a bit more frequent and that’s good for the confidence, too.

“I’m looking forward to all the great golf that’s coming in the next two and a half months.”

Defending the title he won in a playoff last year, Day moved up 11 spots on Sunday thanks to a 5-under 67, one of the highlights a booming 3-wood from 288 yards at the 608-yard par-5 13th.

That set up one of six birdies of the day and highlighted the areas he needs to improve prior to his next start at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am from February 7.

“You take a lot of what you do on the South (Course) away,” Day said post-round.

“I know I need to go back and work on some wedges; my wedge game hasn’t been as solid as it should be.

“That’s one part that I’m going to look forward to trying to get better.

“I’ve got Pebble coming up, another good place that I play well at.”

Coming off a tie for 22nd at the Sony Open, Smith too showed that his game is trending in the right direction, a second shot from 245 yards to just outside 12 feet delivering an eagle at the final hole for his second top-10 of the wraparound season.

Driving up Magnolia Lane is like taking a trip down memory lane for Adam Scott as he prepares for The Masters this week.

The first and only Australian to win The Masters, Scott started his week in the Champions locker room slipping on his Green Jacket before presenting awards to the future faces of the game at the Drive, Chip and Putt competition.

“It’s a great feeling to go into the Champions Room and see some of the other champions. We all get to put our green jackets on one week a year and get to enjoy that,” said Scott.

“It’s a special feeling when you go around and see some of the footage or some of the photos from the year that you won. A lot of special memories come back, good feelings. I have a great feeling about playing this golf course so I’m excited for this week.”

Entering Masters week, Scott is the lowest ranked of the four Australians teeing it up but experience can’t be discounted at Augusta National.

It’s what has seen Fred Couples, 58, a regular feature in the top-20 at the year’s first Major since his win in 1992.

Experience plus some astounding form is also what has Tiger Woods amongst the favourites with golfing pundits.

But Scott is hoping his experience will help him feature in the headlines on Monday morning.

“I think you have to give it (experience) some value. If you look at guys like Fred Couples being competitive here into his 50s, Bernhard Langer and then Mickelson obviously still able to compete at the highest level winning a World Golf Championship. His experience has got to count here,” said Scott.

“Tiger, obviously, even though he hasn’t played a lot of golf has that experience. I don’t think anyone really knew how he would go and he’s playing nicely. Expectations are up for him this week.

“There are a lot of great stories coming into this Masters and I would like to kind of spoil the party in a sense and make another story.”

Taking a moment to reflect on the story he created in 2013, Scott re-watched his playoff triumph over Angel Cabrera and brings positive vibes with him to Augusta National.

“I watched the play-off last week for the first time in a long time which was really great. It’s instantly emotional. It still feels quite close by,” added Scott.

“That was fun to watch and I took some good stuff out of that going into this week and good vibes obviously.

“To see where my intensity level was at, of course that goes without saying when you’re in a play-off for the Masters. That’s where you’ve got to take yourself to be competitive.

“I have watched the replay once before fully, but that was years ago now.”

Adam Scott is joined in the field by three fellow Australians; World Number 11 Jason Day, 2017 Greg Norman Medallist Marc Leishman and 2017 Australian PGA Champion Cameron Smith.

It wasn’t the finish he wanted but Adam Scott will take plenty of confidence from a top-20 finish at the Valspar Championship.

With the Masters just three weeks away the 2013 champion continued his quest to find form ahead of the year’s first major and after a Saturday 66, he is seeing progress.

Scott teed up for just the fourth time since the New Year but says while his statistics don’t yet suggest it, his game is close.

“Honda was really good with the exception of two holes on Thursday,” he said after the third round at Innisbrook.

“And now I’m trying to keep some momentum going. Yesterday (Friday) was not exactly what I wanted but it was important to come out today and do that (make putts).

“So, you know, I’m kind of on track. Good day tomorrow and I feel like I can take a lot of confidence to Bay Hill and maybe get right in it from Thursday, Friday next week.”

Scott was one of seven Australasians to tee up at the notoriously difficult Copperhead Course and finished the week T16 after a final round of 1-over 72.

That followed rounds of 70-73-66 in a week where his statistics in all categories were less than he would have wanted.

His usual solid ball striking was not up to its usual standards with just 38 per cent of fairways hit for the week and 66 per cent of greens. However, given the numbers his scores were more than respectable.

Cameron Smith, Rod Pampling and Aaron Baddeley were the other three to make the cut though none managed to finish in red figures for the 72 holes.

Smith was next best behind Scott at 1-over for the week and T46 though much was lost in the last three holes Sunday.

Having stood on the 16^th tee on 2-under for the week and inside the top-20 the reigning Australian PGA champion three-putted to drop a shot then missed the par-3 17^th long and left.

From there he took two shots to find the putting surface and left his bogey putt agonisingly short to go from under par to over par in the blink of an eye.

Aaron Baddeley was a shot further back than Smith at 2-over and T49 while Rod Pampling was 3-over and T59.

Greg Chalmers, Geoff Ogilvy and Danny Lee all missed the cut after struggling in the opening two rounds.

Top-15 finishes aren’t what Adam Scott plays for but he will be pleased enough with a T13 result at this week’s Honda Classic after a horror stretch Thursday saw him sneak into the weekend on the number.

The 2016 champion at PGA National, Scott was one of many victims of the famed ‘Bear Trap’ loop of holes from 15-17 dropping five shots in that stretch on day one to plummet from 2-under and inside the top-10 to 3-over and outside the top-60.

A 2-over 72 Friday saw Scott make the cut on the number but he inched forward over the weekend with rounds of 67-69 to be just 1-over and pass more than 50 players.

With Masters preparations firmly in his mind, Scott will take confidence from the fight back and also the knowledge he wasn’t the only player brought undone by the brutal finish to the course.

He played the ‘Bear Trap’ 7-over for the week but wasn’t alone with more than 30 balls finding the water on the par-3 17^th on Friday alone.

Scott and Greg Chalmers were the only other Australians in the field and both made the cut, New Zealand’s Danny Lee starting the tournament but withdrawing midway through the first round.

Chalmers was also at 5-over after 36 holes and like Scott played his best golf at the weekend to move well up the standings.

Scores of 70-67 saw him finish within a shot of his countryman and in a share of 17^th, a good effort after the opening two rounds.

Chalmers has struggled in the early part of the season with seven missed cuts in 10 starts, this week’s result easily his best finish and perhaps signalling the beginning of a reversal in form.