Scott continues comeback

ST. LOUIS — Adam Scott was back in contention for the first time in what seemed like an eternity when the former Masters champion began the final round of the British Open last month.

His mindset? Take it low. “And I took the wrong mindset,” Scott admitted Saturday after shooting a 5-under 65 that left him two shots back of Brooks Koepka heading into the final round of the PGA Championship.

He wound up shooting 73 at Carnoustie and was never in contention on the back nine.

“I expected to shoot too low in pretty tough conditions and shot myself in the foot a little bit,” Scott said, “but it felt good to be back feeling like I was in contention at a major.”

It certainly had been a while.

Scott was one of the world’s top players a couple years ago, his green jacket and No. 1 ranking still fresh in peoples’ minds. He’d won the Barclays Classic and three more times after his triumph at Augusta, riding a sweet swing and long putter to the forefront of golf ’s youth revolution.

Maybe it was the ban on that long putter, or maybe it was some problems with his swing that sent him churning through coaches. Whatever the reason, everything fell apart last year, when Scott managed only four top-10s and was never in contention in the tournaments that mattered most.

That included a missed cut at the U.S. Open and a tie for 61st at the PGA.

Scott had continued to struggle this year, again missing the cut when the U.S. Open was played at Shinnecock

Hills. His only top-10 has been a tie for ninth at the Byron Nelson, when a third-round 72 was enough to keep him from giving eventual winner Aaron Wise a run for his money.

Somehow Scott has found some of his old magic. It might be that he’s back to using a modified version of his long putter, or perhaps it’s a peace of mind that came with rehiring his brother-in-law, Brad Malone, as his swing coach after a couple of years apart.

“It’s been fantastic,” Scott said.

Sand man: Gary Woodland was three off the lead when he went from one bunker, to another, then back again on the 10th hole. He hit his third bunker shot from a footprint because it hadn’t yet been raked. He made triple-bogey. Noteworthy: Phil Mickelson missed the cut, meaning he won’t automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1993.