Scott soars back into contention with 66

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As ominous clouds moved in over Quail Hollow Club, Adam Scott was putting the finishing touch on a back nine 31.

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Adam Scott moved back into contention after a 6-under 66 on Saturday.

It seems there are some benefits to barely making the cut -- Scott needed a14-footer on Friday at No. 18 to save par and squeeze into the weekend -- and getting an early tee time.

"It was beautiful this morning. I mean, if the wind blows this afternoon it'll be tough. There's some tough pins out there today," Scott said, adding that gusty conditions would make it even tougher as the greens firm up.

For the better part of the morning, the most recent PGA TOUR winner hovered around 1-over and even par. He birdied No. 3 but gave it immediately back with a three-putt at the par-4 fourth hole. Scott returned to even par with a birdie on No. 9 to close his front nine in 35 strokes.

At No. 10 he finally capitalized on relatively dormant scoring conditions by sinking a 5-foot birdie putt. That kicked off a back-nine run where he was 5 under through six holes. Scott made birdie on Nos. 12 and 14 then eagled the par-5 15th hole. Facing 192 yards to the hole for his second shot, he knocked a 6-iron to three feet and holed that for a two-shot bonus.

"You've got to make it happen from Nos. 7 to 11. That's your big opportunity. You can get on a roll there. You've also got 14 and 15 coming up, which is a chance before the final three (holes), which are obviously brutal," Scott said.

Scott's third-round 66 moved him right into the mix as the leaders began to tee off. He began the day tied for 66th but could sit in the top 10 at the end of the day if conditions worsen.

After nearly missing the cut this week, the worn-out 27-year-old finally got a short but restful night's sleep on Friday. He'd stayed up all night celebrating after his win at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, his sixth victory on TOUR.

"I ran out of gas a little bit yesterday, I think. The week has kind of dragged out for me a little bit since Sunday night," Scott said.

With most of the afternoon ahead of him, Scott could go back to watch his competitors on television or tune into the Kentucky Derby. Instead, he's following the same strategy he used on Friday night.

"I'm probably going to watch neither of those two. I'll probably just go back and sleep," he admitted.