A new approach puts Scott in the mix for a win

On a day when par took a major thrashing at Aronimink Golf Club, Adam Scott resisted the temptation to fire at hole locations the way some of his colleagues did during Saturday's third round of the AT&T National.

It wasn't easy.

"I looked at a leader board on [No.] 9, and I saw quite a few guys had good scores, and at the time I was 2 under," Scott said. "Part of you wants to start firing at pins. But for whatever reason, today I was fairly disciplined, and [caddie Steve Williams] and I just kept picking the target that we thought was the right target for the shot.

"I feel like I'm swinging well, but that can go away quickly with one mistake, and you can lose your way at a course like this. I was quite happy to just kind of pick the course apart as I went around."

The 30-year-old Australian did a marvelous job of picking the course apart, shooting a bogey-free, 4-under-par 66 that left him with a shot at a championship in Sunday's final round.

After his second 66 of the tournament, Scott stands at 7-under 203 in a three-way tie for fourth place, 2 strokes behind coleaders Rickie Fowler and Nick Watney.

"I think I managed my game nicely and didn't change my plan, even though there seemed to be a lot of low scores out there," said Scott, who accounted for one of 40 subpar rounds on Saturday. "I was happy with that. Not dropping a shot obviously is doing something right, and you're always moving in the right direction."

With seven career victories on the PGA Tour, the last coming in the 2010 Valero Texas Open, Scott could rejuvenate his season with a win at Aronimink. Since he tied for second in the Masters, he missed two cuts in the four events he played before this week.

Scott said he has changed his approach toward working to get better. Part of that approach involves setting his schedule and making sure he has enough time to prepare for a tournament, or just getting away from golf for a while.

"It's just really kind of tidying everything up and going about it the right way," Scott said. "In that way, I think I enjoy it a lot more, because certainly when you're playing poorly it's a real grind out here, and I don't really want to get myself back in that position. I'm trying to do all the right things and enjoy playing golf out here.

"It's kind of a long-term plan, and it's a process to become the best player I can possibly be."

Scott, who hit 12 greens and needed just 26 putts Saturday, carded four birdies, the last coming on a 12-foot putt at No. 18. His only flirtation with bogey came at the 15th hole when his approach shot went into a bunker, but he sank an 18-footer to save par.

He didn't see low scores because of the hole locations on Saturday, but conceded that the greens played softer than they had in Thursday's first round.

"There were a couple of pins that were really gettable," he said. "I definitely think the course was maybe set up the softest for the week so far. There were a couple of forward tees."

Tee times will be earlier Sunday because of the forecast of thunderstorms, and Scott thinks any rain during play "could toughen this thing up a bit."

"It depends on where they set the pins and where they set the tees," he said. "If this rough is wet, you definitely don't want to be in it. We'll just have to see what Mother Nature throws at us.

"I still think no matter what, it's going to be a tough golf course. It's not easy to break par out here."

It was on Saturday, however. In fact, nine players shot lower rounds than Scott, led by Watney with a course-record 62.

"I don't know if I'd ever call 66 ordinary," Scott said with a smile. "I'm quite happy with a 66, to be honest. But, yeah, it doesn't really stack up against a 62, does it?"