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 The former world number one made the most of benign conditions on a
muggy, overcast morning and rolled in five birdies on his last eight
holes on the storied sandbelt course in Melbourne.
Strong winds later in the day made it difficult for the chasing pack
but Western Australian Daniel Fox roared home with five birdies on
his last five holes to finish with a 65, one off the pace in
outright second.
Three other local professionals -- Peter Wilson, Matthew Stieger and
Mathew Goggin -- were two strokes further adrift on four-under.
For Scott, now world number 12, it was a pleasing return to form
after a forgettable week at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai,
where he finished 70th in the limited field.
"Everything panned out today," Scott, Australia's only U.S. Masters
champion, told reporters after his bogey-free round.
"I played really solid so it's nice to see a little bit of the work
I've been doing last week and early this week fall into place in the
tournament situation."
The 2012 and 2013 winner, Scott is bidding for his third Masters in
the last four years but first at Huntingdale, where he missed out in
playoffs at the 2002 and 2003 tournaments.
Scott possesses one of the finest swings in the game but has long
battled for consistency on the greens and has gradually switched to
the short putter after years of using a broomstick-style club.
Anchoring, or the practice of using a part of the body to help
control the swing of a putter, is banned from 2016, and Scott was
one of the more prominent exponents.
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The transition has led to mixed results but he was pleased to need
only 28 putts for his round after hitting 16 out of 18 greens in
regulation.
"I feel like it's in a good spot," the 35-year-old said of his
putting. "But hopefully there are more good weeks and the confidence
continues to build."
John Senden, a two-time U.S. Tour event winner, shot two-under to be
five off the pace.
Rising American talent Bryson Dechambeau, who became only the fifth
player to win the U.S. Amateur and the NCAA championship in the same
season this year, shot two-under in Scott's group.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford/John O'Brien)
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