Scott in final warm-up before British Open

Masters champion Adam Scott will play alongside fellow Australians Jason Day and Marc Leishman in the first and second rounds of the US PGA National, his final event before the British Open.

World No.4 Scott, third in last year’s event at Congressional Country Club, became the first green-jacket winner from Australia by winning his first major title two months ago at Augusta National.

Scott was grouped with his compatriots on Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s start of the $US6.5 million ($A7.06 million) event in suburban Washington, played on the same layout where Rory McIlroy won the 2011 US Open for his first major triumph.

Scott has become the National’s top draw after world No.1 Tiger Woods, the defending champion, pulled out with a left elbow strain and England’s Justin Rose, the new US Open champion, withdrew citing fatigue.

Neither man will play another tournament until next month’s British Open at Muirfield and this will be the only event for Scott, who made bogeys on the last four holes to cost himself last year’s British Open crown.

Scott, coming off a share of 45th at the US Open two weeks ago, adopted a reduced tour schedule in 2011 to focus on winning majors and the move paid off.

There’s a chance of severe thunderstorms every afternoon this week as temperatures and humidity are forecast to be high.

Scott can match idle American Matt Kuchar for the PGA lead in consecutive cuts by making his 19th in a row this week.

Day, who has made 17 cuts in a row, shared second at the US Open and has four top-three finishes in the past 10 majors. Day, second to McIlroy at the 2011 US Open, won his only PGA title at the 2010 Byron Nelson Championship.

Also in the field of 132 are PGA driving distance leader Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium, US world number eight Brandt Snedeker, last year’s US PGA playoff champion, and Canada’s Graham DeLaet.

DeLaet matched his best PGA finish with a share of third in last week’s Travelers Championship and donated a portion of his winnings to flood relief efforts in Calgary. He leads the PGA in reaching greens in regulation.

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