Australian PGA Championship: Adam Scott, Marc Leishman in contention after third round

The world didn’t know what Covid was the last time Adam Scott won a tournament. But the major winner is among a host of big-name contenders with a round to play in the Australian PGA Championship.

Adam Scott gets out of the bunker during the third round.

Adam Scott is in prime position for his first win in a world rankings event in the Covid era and fellow veteran Marc Leishman can snap one of golf’s most perplexing droughts as the veterans lurk at the Australian PGA Championship.

Despite contending at both the USPGA Championship and US Open this year, Scott’s winless run stretches back to the 2020 Genesis Invitational in the weeks before the pandemic gripped the world.

But after a five-under 66 in his third round at Royal Queensland, Scott (-11) will start the final day only two strokes behind a trio of leaders, Queensland’s Anthony Quayle, Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and Spain’s David Puig.

RECAP THE THIRD ROUND IN THE BLOG BELOW

Fourteen players are within three shots of the leaders.

“I can’t have a hot front (nine) and then stall out on the back,” Scott said of his strategy for the final round. “There are too many guys up there. It’s too bunched.

“Someone’s going to have a good round, so it’s going to have to be a beauty (on Sunday).

“Being out there thinking of winning when you’re on the eighth hole of the day, it’s not going to help. But I’ve put myself in a decent position. Hopefully I’m not too far back.”

While two-time Joe Kirkwood Cup winner Scott is circling a win which will end years of professional frustration, Leishman is trying end his own curse in Australia, having never won the Australian PGA Championship or Australian Open despite contending regularly.

Scott has not triumphed in a tournament since 2020.

The Victorian, who won his first individual title on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league in Miami this year, dropped a shot on the last hole but still signed for a four-under 67 on Saturday. Like Scott, Leishman (-11) will need to close a gap of two shots to the leaders.

Asked about it feeling like his pursuit of a major win in Australia is getting close to ending, the 42-year-old said: “I hope so. There are so many good players and you’re never owed anything in this game. I certainly hope it’s my time.

“I can take care of that (Sunday) and if I shoot a low one, I’m a good chance to come away with it. There’s also a lot of really good other players. I’m just excited to have a chance and be among it.”

The Australian PGA Championship field were forced from the course for two hours on Saturday as an electrical storm circled Brisbane. Both Scott and Leishman had built good momentum before the break, and managed to hold it together afterwards as they seek a win in the $2.5 million event.

“I’m terrified of lightning, so I wasn’t disappointed,” Leishman said of the delay.

“I had a 60 or 70 foot gum tree blown up next to me when I was playing pennant at Colac (as a kid). It knocked the umbrella out of my hand and landed five metres away. Ever since then, I’ve been very cautious around lightning, put it that way.

“It’s tough when you’re playing good and get pulled off the golf course. But as a pro golfer, it’s part of the game and you just have to manage it.

Originally published as Australian PGA Championship: Adam Scott, Marc Leishman in contention after third round