Scott maintains lead; McIlroy gains ground at Australian Open

SYDNEY -- Adam Scott held a two-shot advantage over Rory McIlroy as the tournament's star players moved to the top of the Australian Open leaderboard at Royal Sydney on Friday.

Scott shot 2-under-par 70 for a two-round total of 12-under 132. McIlroy, playing in the morning and avoiding the rain and storms that later hit the course, had a 65.

Scott and McIlroy will play together on Saturday in the third round.

"It was always going to be a day where you just had to hang on," Scott said of the tough conditions. "He (McIlroy) is one of the best players in the world so I'm going to have to bring my best game."

Australian Richard Green shot 66 and was three strokes behind Scott, who is trying to add the Australian Open to his Australian PGA and Australian Masters titles to become the second player after Robert Allenby in 2005 to capture the Triple Crown of Australian majors.

McIlroy felt lucky to have escaped the worsening conditions.

"The weather wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be and the wind didn't pick up," he said. "So I knew we could take advantage of that, and the greens were a little bit softer as well."

Defending champion Peter Senior had an 81 Friday and did not make the cut.

Kevin Streelman, who played with Matt Kuchar in the American team at last week's World Cup, retired on the fourth hole due to an eye infection. Playing for the first time in Australia, he was later taken to hospital for treatment.

Streelman, playing with Scott and Jason Day, shot 70 in the opening round Thursday and began Friday's round with a birdie.

But as his eye condition worsened, he had a 5 on the par-3 third and a bogey on the par-4 fourth before deciding to retire.

"It's pretty rough right now but we'll see what we can do," Streelman said. "The doctor said it was pretty badly infected.

"I've been trying to do some drops but I started getting dizzy and it's the first time I've ever (withdrawn) at a tournament ... I'm really sad to do it."

Streelman won the PGA Tour's Tampa Bay Championship in March and finished second with Kuchar behind Day and Scott in the team event at the World Cup at Royal Melbourne.

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Charl Schwartzel, Morten Orum Madsen share lead at Alfred Dunhill

South Africa's Charl Schwartzel shot his second straight 68 to join Denmark's Madsen in the lead.

Charl Schwartzel and Morten Orum Madsen share the lead after two rounds at the European Tour's Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Defending champion Schwartzel shot a second straight 4-under 68 on Friday to join Madsen on 8-under 136 at Leopard Creek in northern South Africa.

Denmark's Madsen added a 71 to his opening-round 65 to stay on course for a second straight title. He overtook Schwartzel to win the South African Open on Sunday, the opening event on the tour's 2014 Race to Dubai.

England's Ross Fisher and another Dane, Soren Hansen, are tied for third and a shot behind the leaders heading into the weekend.

John Daly looked set to miss the cut in his second tournament back from elbow surgery after a 3-over 75.

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Phil Mickelson to return to Scottish Open to defend title

Phil Mickelson said he will return to defend his Scottish Open title in the summer of 2014.

Most people remember Mickelson's dramatic win at the Open Championship at Muirfield, coming from five shots back on the final day, but he set the stage for that victory with his win the previous week at the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, his first professional victory on a links course. Mickelson also turned the two events into a Griswolds-style "European Vacation," bringing his three children along to both events. PGA.com's T.J. Auclair has the details on Mickelson's 2014 return:

Late in 2013, Mickelson announced that he'd be cutting back his competitive schedule in an effort to be ready for the majors. One tournament that won't be cut, however, is the Scottish Open.

The 2014 Scottish Open will be held at Royal Aberdeen one week before the Open at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England. 

"Winning the Scottish Open was a huge factor in my success the next week at the Open Championship," Mickelson said in a release. "I was able to acclimate myself to the time change, the weather, the wind, the links conditions and all in the heat of serious competition, which itself was a big added plus."

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McIlroy trails Scott by two

Rory McIlroy shot a second-round 65 to give himself a chance of winning the first trophy of a forgettable year at the Emirates Australian Open.

The Northern Irishman will want to put 2013 to bed after an alarming loss of form cost him the world number one spot, but he could at least end it on a high.

He trails home favourite Adam Scott by two shots at the midway point at the Royal Sydney Golf club after a fine round which contained nine birdies.

The overall leaderboard was also affected by Scott failing to seriously follow up his course-record 62 from day one, but McIlroy will not worry about that.

He may well kick himself about a 17th-hole bogey but the fact that he recovered to birdie the last suggests he is in good shape.

"When you see someone like that (Scott) at the top of the leaderboard already with a low score, it's tough not to think about it," McIlroy told the tournament's official website at the end of his round.

"It's tough not to sort of press the issue and try and make birdies to catch up with them right away but golf tournaments are long, they're four days, 72 holes and there's a lot of time to chip away at those leads."

McIlroy's bad year has been well covered but he insists he has long felt back on track.

"I feel like I'm playing well. I'm hitting the ball well off the tee and giving myself plenty of chances. It was good to see a few more putts go in today," he added.

"As I've said for the last few weeks, the game is feeling much better and I'm much more comfortable with it."

Scott was always unlikely to match his brilliant opening-day score, but he could have wished for a more consistent round.

Gunning for the 'Aussie treble' of this tournament to go alongside his Australian PGA and Australian Masters titles, Scott signed for seven birdies, three bogeys and one double-bogey on an up and down afternoon.

In close attendance at the top of the leaderboard is Richard Green who rests on nine under par overall, with Friday's round of 66 including a hole-in-one on the sixth.

"That shot on the par-three sixth today was a flush golf shot. It's nice to build a bit of confidence from hitting good shots again," said Green.

"I love coming to Royal Sydney. It's my favourite course up here. I've done well here before. It fits my game, how far I hit the golf ball at least."

Matthew Jones trails by a shot in fourth, with four more players on six under, among them amateur Bradley Watt.

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Hull in contention in India

Thailand's Thidapa Sunawannapura claimed a narrow lead after the second round of the Hero Women's Indian Open on Friday.

Sunawannapura could only add a 74 to her opening 66 at Delhi Golf Club, but her four-under-par total of 140 was enough to lead by one from fellow overnight leader Valentine Derrey and England's Charley Hull.

Derrey struggled to a 75 while Hull returned a 72 which featured two birdies and two bogeys.

Sunawannapura, 21, said: "My putts for birdie were all short on the back nine. The greens were trickier and the pin positions were harder. I think it's harder playing in the morning than in the afternoon.

"You cannot expect anything on this course. What's going to happen is going to happen. On 13, today I hit a three-wood into a bush and it came out by two yards. I hit the next shot two yards and then my fourth to the front (of the green) and chipped in for five for a bogey."

Derrey failed to record a single birdie in her round and said: "I missed my drive on nine and made double bogey and then missed my approach shot on 10 and made bogey - that's it. I didn't make a putt today. I hit 15 greens, just missed two holes.

"The course is really narrow so you have to hit good shots at the right moment. You have to think where to hit your shot and what to do. I'm going to practice my putting and we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Hull is seeking a first win of a remarkable rookie season on the Ladies European Tour which saw her finish second in her first five events and play a part in Europe's historic Solheim Cup victory in Colorado.

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Alfred Dunhill Championship

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel claimed a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the Alfred Dunhill Championship, despite complaining of some "very, very iffy" pin positions at Leopard Creek.

Schwartzel carded a second consecutive 68 to finish alongside South African Open winner Morten Orum Madsen on eight under par, with Madsen's fellow Dane Soren Hansen and England's Ross Fisher a shot behind in second.

Despite not dropping a shot on Friday, Schwartzel was unhappy with several of the hole locations on the back nine, the former Masters champion having to play at a 90 degree angle away from the pin on the par-three 12th, where the severe slope helped Argentina's Emiliano Grillo win a BMW earlier in the day for a hole-in-one.

"There were a few pin positions that were very, very iffy, 13 and 14 in particular," Schwartzel said. 

"They have gone too close to the limit. Maybe they put them out in the dark."

Madsen had held the overnight lead after an opening 65 and remained top of the leaderboard after England's Richard Finch suffered a nightmare finish to his second round.

Two-time European Tour winner Finch lost his card at the end of the 2013 season and failed to regain it at the qualifying school, but received an invite from the tournament sponsors to compete here.

The 36-year-old from Hull looked on course to make the most of it when he picked up six birdies in his first 15 holes to move into a three-shot lead on 10 under par.

However, Finch, who won the New Zealand Open and Irish Open in 2008, fluffed a chip on the par-three 16th, dropped another shot on the 17th and then dumped his approach to the 18th into the water guarding the green to card a double-bogey seven.

That meant he had to settle for a round of 70 and halfway total of six under par, two behind Madsen who had a rollercoaster round of his own in pursuit of back-to-back wins.

Madsen carded two double-bogeys, two bogeys, an eagle and five birdies in his 71 and said: "My driver was not in synch today, I had some bad shots right and left which cost me a few shots. I will work on it and am sure I will be better tomorrow.

"The birdies are there, I just need to weed out some of the mistakes like four-putting the 13th. I would have loved to have shot a lower score today but I am still in a great position to make a charge on the weekend."

In contrast, Fisher carded just one bogey in his 65, the former Ryder Cup player firing six birdies and an eagle to boost his chances of a first European Tour title since 2010.

Fisher failed to keep his card on the PGA Tour this season but has been in a rich vein of form since returning to Europe, recording five top-10 finishes, including losing out in a play-off for the Perth International last month.

"It was a testing day yesterday and I played well but just couldn't make a putt," Fisher said. "To be seven behind the leader was a little disappointing, so I knew I had to come out today and try and play as well as the previous day, if not better.

"Golf is a very fickle game. Some days you make putts, and some days you don't. You've just got to take the good with the bad."

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Scott storms into Sydney lead

Masters champion Adam Scott rated Thursday's course-record 10-under 62 at the Emirates Australian Open as one of his best-ever rounds - but maintained his picture-perfect golf swing was not quite where he wanted it to be.

The world number two burst out of the blocks with six straight birdies but lost his rhythm midway through his opening round at the Royal Sydney Golf Club and had to settle for eight straight pars.

He bounced back with a superb tee shot on the par-three sixth and sunk the short putt, however, to spark another run of four straight birdies and smash the previous course record by three shots.

"I can't sit here and complain about anything, but, a bit like last week in the first round, the swing wanders on a couple of shots and it did it again today," Scott said. 

"It's not quite in the slot, although I hit a lot of great shots today. 

"It's a bit - I don't know the right way to say it - it's not as free-flowing as the first couple of weeks (at the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Masters). 

"The swing is a bit of hard work for me at the moment. I can still hit good shots, obviously, but hitting a few average ones as well and I got away with the bad ones with some good saves. 

"I felt like there's been a good round in me for four weeks, and finally I threw it out there today."

Scott, looking to become the second man to win Australia's Triple Crown in a single season, led little-known Canadian Ryan Yip and American John Young Kim by three shots heading into round two after the pair posted 65s.

Australian David McKenzie was fourth after a 66, with Australian trio Jason Norris, Alistair Presnell and Jason Scrivener a further stroke back.

The other star attraction in Sydney this week, Rory McIlroy, headed into the second round seven shots adrift of Scott after starting with a three-under 69.

The 24-year-old Northern Irishman is still seeking his first win of a troubled year but has at least shown signs of improvement in recent weeks - and he recovered well on Thursday after bogeying his first two holes.

Starting from the 10th, McIlroy dropped shots on the par-four 10th and 11th holes, but was flawless for the remaining 16 and picked up five birdies to get himself back into contention and into a share of 16th spot after round one.

It was undeniably Scott's day, however.

The 33-year-old Queenslander is renowned as a strong front-runner, but conceded matching his opening-round performance will take some doing with wet and windy conditions forecast for Friday.

"It's a mindset. You want to be a good front-runner, you want to be out there and, when you're playing well, you want to keep your foot on the gas," he said. 

"I've had a few times in my career where I ran away and won by several shots. It's a good attribute to have - it's hard to do but it's a good attribute if you can do it. 

"Tomorrow's a whole different ball-game. Backing up a low round is something that's hard to do and you don't often see guys go back-to-back low like that. 

"So I'm going to have to come out tomorrow and try and get control of my game and mind again and just deal with the conditions as best I can."

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Duo lead the way in India

Thidapa Suwannapura and Valentine Derrey lead the way at the end of day one of the Hero's Women's India Open on Thursday, with the pair tied on six under and holding a two-shot lead over the chasing pack.

Thailand's Suwannapura had just one blemish in her opening round of 66, dropping a single shot on the seventh but carding seven birdies to more than make up for the disappointment.

Derrey of France performed even better, posting a flawless round to join Suwannapura at the top of the scoreboard in pleasant sunny conditions at the Delhi Golf Club.

American Hannah Jun had earlier set the clubhouse lead but eventually finished the day two shots off the pace after a four-under 68.

Starting on the back nine, Jun mixed one birdie with one bogey on her opening nine holes but four birdies on the return fired the 28-year-old up the leaderboard.

Tour rookie Charley Hull is also in the mix thanks to an opening round of 69, just three shots off the leaders.

The 17-year-old Englishwoman sank four birdies, with a dropped shot on the par-four 13th her only error, and Hull was more than satisfied with the start she had made.

"I hit it pretty good," she told the Ladies European Tour website. 

"I didn't hit it that well in the practice rounds and on the range it was the worst I've ever hit it in my life but I went out there and flushed it again, so I'm feeling pretty happy with my game. 

"All in all my game was pretty good. I made a birdie on 17, hit an iron shot to six feet but missed a seven-footer at the last, so a bit disappointed about that. 

"Overall I'm happy because three under on this course is good."

Hull's compatriot Danielle Montgomery is six shots off the lead after opening her challenge with a level-par 72.

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Mental pressures taking their toll in sport, says McIlroy

The pressure to succeed in sport is pushing more and more athletes towards stress-related illnesses, says Rory McIlroy, who is looking to put a troubled year on and off the course behind him at this week's Australian Open.

McIlroy, who slipped from the top of the rankings to world number six after a winless 2013, said the mental toll of sport could far outweigh the physical pressures and cases such as that of England cricketer Jonathan Trott were becoming more frequent.

Trott flew home from Australia on Monday to deal with a stress-related illness following England's calamitous start to the Ashes series.

"It's sad to see something like that happen and it just shows what a mental toll sport can take on you sometimes," McIlroy told reporters at Royal Sydney.

"Hopefully he gets home and spends some time with his family and recovers and can come back...

"As sport becomes so big and there's so much pressure and so much on the line, it's becoming more and more common that these sorts of stress-related illnesses are happening and it just shows how much of a mental toll it takes on you sometimes."

The 24-year-old acknowledged there was a world of difference between casual banter on the golf course and the sledging that took place in Brisbane, where England were thrashed by 381 runs in the first test.

"I think the sledging this year has probably been a bit worse than other years as well," the Northern Irishman added.

"It looks like they're just having a go at each other after every ball... it would be really tough to take that for however long you're out there for.

"They seem to really get at each other's throat whenever they're in there."

OFF-COURSE DISTRACTIONS

McIlroy has had to deal with a myriad of off-course distractions this year, but his form seems to be improving heading into the final events of the year.

In addition to his high-profile switch to Nike, a dispute with American sportswear company Oakley and his split with Dublin-based Horizon Sports Management, McIlroy has also had to deal with the media focus on his relationship with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

"It's been a long year, I guess mentally more than physically," he added.

"Physically, golf doesn't take that much out of you but mentally it's quite draining, especially this year for me, not just the golf and being frustrated with my game but having to answer the questions and having to come up with reasons why I'm not playing well and all that stuff."

McIlroy will face stiff competition at Royal Sydney from U.S. Masters champion Adam Scott and another Australian Jason Day, who won the World Cup's individual trophy by two strokes on Sunday.

"I've said for the last couple of months I just wanted to try and finish this season strongly and get some momentum to go in 2014," he added.

"This would be the perfect place to get that first win of the year and give me a sort of springboard into the next season."

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Leader Scott weathers storm as McIlroy makes his move

SYDNEY - Overnight leader Adam Scott battled through the Sydney wind and rain for a mixed bag of a round of two-under-par 70 to take a two-stroke lead over Rory McIlroy at the halfway stage of the Australian Open on Friday.

McIlroy, growing in confidence by the round, benefited from easier early conditions to post a nine-birdie 65 and join the world number two at the top of the leaderboard on 10-under before the Australian had even teed off.

The U.S Masters champion lit up the Royal Sydney Golf Club with a course record 10-under 62 in bright sunshine on Thursday and initially continued in the same vein by picking up shots at two of his first three holes.

The stiffening wind and driving rain took their toll, though, and five further birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey later, Scott was signing for his second round with the same two-shot cushion.

"It was a tough afternoon, plenty of good stuff in there but made a few mistakes in the tricky conditions," Scott told reporters.

"At times, it was extremely difficult and I think I held it together pretty well.

"It was going to be a day for hanging in. I made lots of birdies but bogeys were easy to come by if you were just slightly off and probably most scorecards would have looked similar this afternoon."

World number six McIlroy's growing confidence at the tail-end of a difficult season was clearly evident in his second round at the Royal Sydney, where he tightened up the putting that had left him seven shots behind Scott overnight.

"As seven-unders go, I think it was a pretty comfortable one. I don't think I did anything really spectacular out there," the Northern Irishman said.

GREEN ACE

"It feels good, I played well, putted much better today than I did yesterday too, so that was a big positive. I'm in a great position going into the weekend."

If McIlroy's snaking 14-footer for a birdie at the sixth was the putt of the day, Richard Green took the iron shot honours for his hole-in-one at the same par-three.

The 42-year-old Australian also hit six birdies with two bogeys in his early round of 66 to claim third place a shot behind McIlroy, but there was no doubting the highlight of his day.

"I think it was about 157 yards or something like that, which was I suppose just with the conditions, there's a little bit of wind off the left and it suited the draw in there and just got it, perfect," the European Tour regular said.

Matt Jones was a shot further back in fourth on eight-under after a second 68 and will play with his compatriot Green in Saturday's third round.

With all due respect to the pair, most eyes will probably be on the group teeing off behind them and tournament organisers will be hoping for a hotly contested duel between the best two players in the field.

Scott has won the Australian PGA and Masters in the last month and could hardly be in better form.

Despite McIlroy's poor season, though, he was certainly not writing off the former world number one and twice major champion.

"Obviously he's one of the best players in the world so I'm going to have to bring my best game and try and match it with him," Scott said.

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Madsen leads at Alfred Dunhill

MALELANE, South Africa -- Morten Orum Madsen leads the Alfred Dunhill Championship after shooting a 7-under 65 in the opening round at Leopard Creek.

The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africa's Allan Versfeld and Portugal's Ricardo Santos.

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel was in a four-way tie for fourth after a 68, while American John Daly shot a 72 for a tie for 48th in his second tournament back from right elbow surgery in July.

Madsen came from behind to win the South African Open last weekend but was out in front early at the second event on the 2014 Race to Dubai. A bogey at the par-3 seventh was his only blemish.

''I have a lot of confidence right now,'' he said. ''I really believe I am going to hit good shots on pretty much every shot.''

Versfeld carded an eagle and four birdies in a bogey-free round, while Santos finished with an eagle to add to four birdies.

Schwartzel had seven birdies, including five on his first six holes, but the 2011 Masters champion failed to fully capitalize on the fast start by making a bogey and a double-bogey around the turn. Starting at No. 10, he dropped his first shot on No. 17 and then double-bogeyed the par-4 first.

Schwartzel won here by 12 shots a year ago and has also finished second four times at the Leopard Creek course in northern South Africa.

Daly made his return to golf at the BMW Masters in China last month after surgery to repair a damaged tendon in his elbow. He struggled for consistency Thursday with two bogeys and a birdie going out and two birdies and a bogey coming home.

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Scott hot at Australian Open with 1st-round 62

SYDNEY -- Adam Scott birdied his first six holes en route to a course-record 10-under 62 at Royal Sydney on Thursday to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the Australian Open.

Scott broke the previous Royal Sydney mark of 65 set by five players at the 2008 Australian Open. After Scott's opening birdie run, he made par on the next eight holes before birdieing his final four.Scott is attempting to join Robert Allenby as the only golfers to win all three Australian majors in the same year. Allenby won the Australian PGA, Australian Masters and Australian Open in 2005.

''The longest putt I had on those opening birdies was about 5 feet,'' Scott said. ''I hit a lot of quality shots right out of the blocks this morning.''

Canadian Ryan Yip and American John Young Kim each shot 65s and were tied for second. David McKenzie had a 66 while two-time champion Aaron Baddeley was in a group with 67s.

''I like to see the ball running and that's what this course offers me,'' said Yip, a regular on the Canadian Tour.

Adam Scott of Australia loses his grip as he tees off on the second hole during the Australian Open …

Rory McIlroy opened with a 69 in his bid for his first win of the year. He made the turn at 2-under, bogeyed 11 and 12, but had three birdies in his final seven holes, including on No. 18.

American Kevin Streelman, who played with Matt Kuchar on the runner-up American team in last week's World Cup at Royal Melbourne, shot 70 playing in the same group as Scott and Jason Day.

Day, who won the individual stroke play at the World Cup, also shot 70.

Scott could not recall starting any round with six birdies, thinking that he once had five in a row to start a round in Qatar. He finished his round Thursday with an approach to nearly tap-in range on the ninth.

''I'm off to a good start, but a lot of work to do yet,'' Scott said. ''It's been a long time since I shot a low round like this. It's a tough setup, but it was a perfect morning for it.''

Most of the best scores Thursday came in the morning groups as the wind picked up in the afternoon. Similar weather conditions are forecast for Friday when Scott will play in the afternoon.

Scott won the Australian PGA and Australian Masters before sharing the World Cup team trophy with Day last week at Royal Melbourne.

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Scott looks to complete Australian Triple Crown

SYDNEY -- Adam Scott has lifted three trophies in three weeks - two from his Australian PGA and Australian Masters wins - and one he shared with Australian teammate Jason Day at last week's World Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Scott begins his attempt to complete the Triple Crown of Australian majors on Thursday at the Australian Open at Royal Sydney, which is hosting the country's national championship for the 14th time.

He'll play in the same threesome during the first two rounds with Day, who also won the individual stroke-play event at the World Cup, and American Kevin Streelman.

''I'm excited about this week, with the chance to win the Triple Crown,'' he said after Wednesday's pro-am. ''I did roll a few in on the back nine. To see a few going in in the pro-am is always good ... you set the tone for the week.''

It's Scott's first trip Down Under - four tournaments in four weeks - since he became the first Australian to win the Masters at Augusta in April.

Robert Allenby in 2005 is the only player to have won the Australian Masters, Australian PGA and Australian Open in the same season.

Former Australian Open champion Craig Parry is among a group of players including Greg Norman, Peter Lonard and defending champion Peter Senior to have won all three Australian majors, but Parry did it over 15 years.

''It's hard enough to win once, let alone the next week and now he's trying to win the Australian Open - and that's the big one,'' Parry said Wednesday. ''Just the history of it, the great names that have won it, the mystique.''

Gary Player won the Australian Open seven times, Jack Nicklaus six and Norman five times.

''Scotty's playing fantastic and the fact that he's had all the pressure on him coming back home to Australia and then delivered ... it's one thing to expect and another to do it,'' Parry added.

Scott's other major threat to what Australian media are calling the ''Scotty Slam'' is Rory McIlroy, who admitted Wednesday that ''it's been a long year, mentally more than physically.''

McIlroy, who has eight top-10 finishes in 2013 but hasn't won a tournament this year, has been embroiled in court cases over his management company and a major sponsor.

But McIlory says he arrived in Australia feeling refreshed from a monthlong tournament break.

''I took four weeks off and did some great work with my coach,'' McIlroy said Wednesday. ''Once you start to see results your confidence comes back.''

The Australian Open also begins qualifying for next year's British Open at Royal Liverpool at Hoylake.

In the first event in the new Open Qualifying Series for next July, the three players who finish in the top 10 and ties, who have not already qualified, will get a spot at Royal Liverpool.

Only four players in the 156-man field at Royal Sydney have qualified for The Open - McIlroy, Scott, Day and Streelman.

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Scott fires course record in 'rollercoaster' round

SYDNEY - Adam Scott shot a course record 10-under-par 62 in the first round of the Australian Open at Royal Sydney on Thursday but the world number two was left ruing a mid-round dip that prevented him from posting an even lower score.

Scott has been on fire on a valedictory tour of his homeland over the last few weeks, winning both the Australian PGA and Masters, and helping his country to hoist the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne last weekend.

The 33-year-old showed no sign of slowing down as he started his fourth event at the Royal Sydney Golf Course on Thursday, grabbing birdies on his first six holes, parring the middle eight and then picking up four shots on his final four holes.

The first streak of birdies had the U.S. Masters champion contemplating the possibility that he might be about to join an even more select group of golfers, those who have shot rounds of 59 in professional tournaments.

"I wasn't thinking about it hard but I knew it was a possibility. Having birdied the six holes I birdied, I felt like all the opportunities were still to come," he said.

"So if I kept it going, and I had a good run around the turn, I felt it was on for sure."

It was not to be, though, and from his seventh hole - the 16th - Scott felt his swing desert him and was soon battling his frustration at being unable to continue his charge.

"It was a beautiful day for golf, I came out hitting great shots and didn't have much work to do to clean them up in the first five holes and had a nice putt on my sixth hole and I was really rolling at that stage," he said.

MOOD SWINGS

"But I think I've gone through a rollercoaster of emotion out there today from cruising after six holes to having to work pretty hard.

"Nothing much was going my way, I missed a green, felt like my swing was leaving me again, it's just amazing how in 18 holes you can do a 360 degrees of emotion and mood swings and everything."

Despite his success of the last few weeks, perfectionist Scott said he felt his swing had not been quite "in the slot" and revealed he had discussed his "sloppy" posture on the phone with his coach Brad Malone.

"It's a bit hard work for me at the moment," he said. "I still hit some great shots but a few average ones as well. But I got away with the bad ones today with some good saves."

It was all relative of course, and he continued to nail the four to five foot putts that punctuated his round before catching fire again at the sixth hole, his 15th.

Scott said the strong finish was essential to avoid wasting the opportunity his brilliant start had opened up, but part of him was still left contemplating how low he might have gone.

"I'm thinking about what today could have been, if I was really striking it and lost opportunities," he said.

Scott nevertheless said it had been one of the "best rounds" of his career, along with the round of 61 he hit to win the Qatar Masters in 2008 and a 62 he shot at the Memorial at Muirfield Village in 2007.

Thursday's round not only gave him a healthy early lead but also beat the course record of 65 held since the 2008 Australian Open by Stephen Dartnall, Matt Goggins, Ewan Porter, Chris Gaunt and Jason Norris.

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Golf-European Tour Dunhill Championship scores

Scores from the European Tour Dunhill Championship at the par-72 course on Thursday in Malelane

65	Morten Madsen (Denmark)	65
66	Allan Versfeld (South Africa)	66
	Ricardo Santos (Portugal)	66
68	Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)	68
	Victor Riu (France)	68
	Richard Finch (Britain)	68
	David Drysdale (Britain)	68
69	James Kingston (South Africa)	69
	Danny Willett (Britain)	69
	Gareth Maybin (Britain)	69
	Chris Doak (Britain)	69
	Michael Hollick (South Africa)	69
	Hennie Otto (South Africa)	69
	Ruan De Smidt (South Africa)	69
70	Pablo Martin (Spain)	70
	Andrew Curlewis (South Africa)	70
	Jaco Van Zyl (South Africa)	70
	Charl Coetzee (South Africa)	70
	Kevin Phelan (Ireland)	70
	Daniel Brooks (Britain)	70
	John Parry (Britain)	70
	Tjaart Van der Walt (South Africa)	70
	JG Claassen (South Africa)	70
	Jorge Campillo (Spain)	70
	Christiaan Basson (South Africa)	70
	Tyrone Van Aswegen (South Africa)	70
	Ryan Cairns (Zimbabwe)	70
	Magnus Carlsson (Sweden)	70
	Romain Wattel (France)	70
	Jens Dantorp (Sweden)	70
	Ockie Strydom (South Africa)	70
	Kim Si-Hwan (South Korea)	70
71	Jamie McLeary (Britain)	71
	Thomas Aiken (South Africa)	71
	Darren Fichardt (South Africa)	71
	Dean Burmester (South Africa)	71
	Andy Sullivan (Britain)	71
	Dion Fourie (South Africa)	71
	Jaco Ahlers (South Africa)	71
	Garrick Porteous (Britain)	71
	Oliver Fisher (Britain)	71
	Steve Webster (Britain)	71
	Bryce Easton (South Africa)	71
	Ignacio Garrido (Spain)	71
	Titch Moore (South Africa)	71
	Kristoffer Broberg (Sweden)	71
	Alex Haindl (South Africa)	71
72	Hendrik Buhrmann (South Africa)	72
	Niclas Fasth (Sweden)	72
	Damien McGrane (Ireland)	72
	Marco Crespi (Italy)	72
	George Coetzee (South Africa)	72
	John Daly (U.S.)	72
	Peter Lawrie (Ireland)	72
	Doug McGuigan (South Africa)	72
	Heinrich Bruiners (South Africa)	72
	Soren Hansen (Denmark)	72
	Oliver Bekker (South Africa)	72
	Simon Dyson (Britain)	72
	Grant Muller (South Africa)	72
	Prinavin Nelson (South Africa)	72
	Haydn Porteous (South Africa)	72
	JJ Senekal (South Africa)	72
	Tyrrell Hatton (Britain)	72
	Brandon Pieters (South Africa)	72
	Adrien Saddier (France)	72
	Lucas Bjerregaard (Denmark)	72
	Tyrone Ferreira (South Africa)	72
	Matthew Nixon (Britain)	72
	Andrea Pavan (Italy)	72
	Craig Lee (Britain)	72
	Ross Fisher (Britain)	72
	Graeme Storm (Britain)	72
	Matthew Baldwin (Britain)	72
	Omar Sandys (South Africa)	72
	PH McIntyre (South Africa)	72
73	Matthew Carvell (South Africa)	73
	Seve Benson (Britain)	73
	Carlos Del Moral (Spain)	73
	Edoardo Molinari (Italy)	73
	Johan Carlsson (Sweden)	73
	Lee Slattery (Britain)	73
	Keith Horne (South Africa)	73
	Adrian Otaegui (Spain)	73
	Shaun Norris (South Africa)	73
	James Heath (Britain)	73
	Warren Abery (South Africa)	73
	Theunis Spangenberg (South Africa)	73
	Alexander Levy (France)	73
	Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe)	73
	Trevor Fisher (South Africa)	73
	Brinson Paolini (U.S.)	73
	Yubin Jung (South Africa)	73
	Juan Langeveld (South Africa)	73
74	Riekus Nortje (South Africa)	74
	Alejandro Canizares (Spain)	74
	Eddie Pepperell (Britain)	74
	Merrick Bremner (South Africa)	74
	Neil Schietekat (South Africa)	74
	Simon Wakefield (Britain)	74
	Vaughn Groenewald (South Africa)	74
	Stuart Manley (Britain)	74
	Dawie Van der Walt (South Africa)	74
	Ulrich Van den Berg (South Africa)	74
	Mikael Lundberg (Sweden)	74
	Jbe Kruger (South Africa)	74
	Tom Lewis (Britain)	74
	Francois Calmels (France)	74
75	Andreas Harto (Denmark)	75
	JP Van der Walt (South Africa)	75
	Gregory Havret (France)	75
	Jose-Filipe Lima (Portugal)	75
	Justin Harding (South Africa)	75
	Robert Rock (Britain)	75
	Ignacio Elvira (Spain)	75
	Teboho Sefatsa (South Africa)	75
	Andrew Georgiou (South Africa)	75
	Jean Hugo (South Africa)	75
	James Kamte (South Africa)	75
	Emiliano Grillo (Argentina)	75
	Daan Huizing (Netherlands)	75
76	Colin Nel (South Africa)	76
	Jacques Blaauw (South Africa)	76
	Justin Walters (South Africa)	76
	Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay)	76
	Jake Roos (South Africa)	76
	Mark Williams (South Africa)	76
	Francois Coetzee (South Africa)	76
	Wade Ormsby (Australia)	76
	Michael Hoey (Britain)	76
	Garth Mulroy (South Africa)	76
	Gary Stal (France)	76
	MJ Daffue (South Africa)	76
	Thomas Pieters (Belgium)	76
	Desne Van den Bergh (South Africa)	76
77	Peter Whiteford (Britain)	77
	Thabang Simon (South Africa)	77
	Lyle Rowe (South Africa)	77
	Maximilian Kieffer (Germany)	77
	Scott Jamieson (Britain)	77
78	James Morrison (Britain)	78
	Peter Karmis (South Africa)	78
	Francesco Laporta (Italy)	78
	79 Joachim Hansen (Denmark)	79
	Louis De Jager (South Africa)	79
	Simon Thornton (Ireland)	79
	Louis Calitz (South Africa)	79
	Mark Murless (South Africa)	79
80	Richard Sterne (South Africa)	80
81	Musiwalo Nethunzwi (South Africa)	81
82	Jared Harvey (South Africa)	82
83	Danie Van Tonder (South Africa)	83
	Chris Swanepoel (South Africa)	83

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