Adam Scott has 64 to take early lead at Australian Masters
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Adam Scott birdied five of his final eight holes Thursday for a 7-under 64 and an early three-stroke lead at the Australian Masters.
Scott lost in playoffs in two previous appearances at Huntingdale Golf Club in 2002 and 2003. He has won the tournament at two other nearby sand belt courses - in 2012 at Kingston Heath and 2013 at Royal Melbourne
Starting on the back nine, Scott made the turn in 2-under 33. He birdied the second, third and fourth holes on the front nine, added another on the par-5 seventh and finished with a birdie on the ninth.
''That's the start I was after,'' Scott said. ''I'm pretty happy with that, particularly now that the wind is getting up. It could play pretty tricky this afternoon.
''I stayed patient, which is what you have to do on these kinds of golf courses.''
Two other Australians were closest on the leaderboard among the early finishers - Peter Wilson shot 67 and Alistair Presnell 68.
American amateur Bryson DeChambeau shot 69. The 22-year-old Californian, who attended Southern Methodist University, won both the U.S. Amateur and the college NCAA Division I championship this year, only the fifth golfer to achieve that feat.
