By Bill Fields
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KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. -- Get back on the horse. Get back in the game.
However you want to phrase what Adam Scott needed to do in the first round of the 94th PGA Championship, he did it.
Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images
In his first major-championship round since losing the British Open last month in a hard-to-watch meltdown at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Scott most importantly got back into contention.
He shot a tidy, four-under 68 at the Ocean Course Thursday afternoon in the freshening breeze off the Atlantic Ocean to trail Carl Pettersson by two shots after 18 holes and position himself well for another crack at winning his first major title.
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Although Scott had last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to help him decompress from the golf calamity he endured in England, this was, as Rickie Fowler might put it, truly "go time" to start moving on.
"I think it was a pretty good round of golf," Scott said. "I wasn't feeling 100 percent with it all out there, but I controlled my game nicely, managed it well. My short game was sharp when it needed to be, which is going to be important because it's just a hard golf course and you're not going to hit every green."
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Scott was buoyed not only by his solid start but also the vibe outside the ropes, where many are hoping Scott will redeem himself at a major, perhaps this week.
"The support has been tremendous from the fans," Scott said. "Obviously I think all the golfers would have been watching the Open and it's nice to hear that support. It's nice that they want to see me play well, and I want to play well for them coming out and watching me."
