Scott might have cost himself a chance with a wild round on Friday at the HSBC Champions golf tournament in Shanghai.
The Australian opened with four birdies through seven holes to get within two shots of leader Graeme McDowell. A poor tee shot changed everything. He pulled his drive into a water hazard on the 603-yard eighth hole and had to drop at one of the forward tees. Trying to reach the green in two, he came up just short of the creek in front of the green, and then his pitch from gnarly rough didn't quite reach the green and rolled into the hazard next to a large rock.
Scott decided to take a penalty drop from the other side of the creek and made a quadruple-bogey 9, wiping out those four birdies. He followed with an approach into the water on the ninth for a double bogey, and made eagle on the back nine to salvage a 72. He still was eight shots behind.
Fellow Australian Mark Leishman is tied 21st on 143 after shooting 72 and 71.
Leaderboard
1. Graeme McDowell -10
2. Ian Poulter -7
T-3. Bubba Watson -6
T-3. Hiroshi Iwata -6
T-5. Four tied at -5