Scott and Fox keep hopes alive at BMW PGA Championship
Adam Scott – just two from the 54-hole lead – file image
Adam Scott and Ryan Fox remain very much in contention as the BMW PGA Championship heads into the final round at the Wentworth Golf and Country Club in Surrey.
Scott birdied his final two holes on a blustery Saturday for a round of 71, and at 11 under he is two shots behind the joint lead held by Italian Filippo Celli and Spain’s Manuel Elvira.
Wentworth has two par fives to finish, and Scott, who was battling at 1 over for the round when he reached the 17th tee, holed a 30-foot birdie putt before hitting a magnificent approach to 6 feet at the last. Frustratingly, he missed the eagle putt, but the birdie kept him very much a contender heading into Sunday’s final round.
“That was a grind out there,” said Scott. “I saw all these good scores up on the board, but it didn’t feel like that was really doable. It was kind of one step forward and a couple steps back out there. Very hard to get in a rhythm. Hard to feel like you had a number where you could attack.
“It felt pretty good, overall. Trusting it is hard on a day like today, especially when, you know, you might misjudge a shot here or there, especially on the wind, the direction, and it hangs far offline. It’s hard to keep believing that you’re doing the right things.
“The swing does feel good. With it being so windy today, I pulled a couple of wrong clubs off the tee, and I think that was more the error than the swing so much. It just left no margin for any error. If it’s like that tomorrow, hopefully I’ll learn a lesson, but looking forward to having a chance.
“I rate this tournament so highly. I’ve enjoyed playing here for a lot of years now, and with strong connections to European golf, I would love to etch my name into the history here at Wentworth.”
Fox bogeyed the 3rd after finding the fairway bunker from the tee but added four more birdies and a bogey for his round of 70 to be tied for 11th place, just three shots from the lead.
“It was tough, said Fox. “The wind was so gusty. Felt like I hit a lot of decent shots that didn’t end up where I thought they were going to end up. I made a couple of nice par putts to keep it going on front nine, and then when you feel like you can score on the back nine, it just became hard to hit the ball close. I’m glad I snuck one in there on the last, even though I didn’t hit a very good second shot. I’m still in the hunt, at least.
“I’m happy with how I grounded out. I think Rors (McIlroy) and I had a fairly similar round in that regard. Some scratchy stuff. Put together a decent score, and as I said, we got a chance going into tomorrow.”
Daniel Hillier recorded a solid third round of 69 to be in a share of 34th and seven shots from the lead, while his fellow New Zealander, Kazuma Kobori, is another shot back.
