Rousing finish at Waialae gives Scott reason to smile

HONOLULU (Reuters) - Australian Adam Scott had a spring in his step after surging into a tie for second place at the Sony Open on Sunday.

Although he rued a missed 10-foot birdie putt at the par-three 17th, Scott was delighted to experience the thrill of the title hunt after an injury-plagued campaign on the 2008 PGA Tour.

"Today was really good for me," the 28-year-old told reporters after piling up five birdies on the back nine at Waialae Country Club for a sparkling six-under-par 64.

"It''s been a long time since I''ve been in the hunt in anything. It was nice to get on the back nine and have a chance and get the competitive nerves going again.

"I wish I could have made the putt on 17, to have a bit of a chance on the last," Scott added, after posting a 13-under total of 267 to finish two strokes behind winner Zach Johnson.

"But, all-in-all, I''m pretty happy with how my game is shaping up. It was a good week, a solid week for me."

Scott heads off to the United Arab Emirates to defend his title at the European Tour''s Qatar Masters this week before taking a month-long break to rehabilitate his knee.

He twisted his right knee at the end of last year while coming out of the ocean after body surfing and was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open.

MONTH OFF

"I''m going to take a month off after Qatar to get my knee back to 100 percent," said Scott, who has spent time with Hollywood actress Kate Hudson since arriving in Hawaii at the start of this year.

"I''m looking forward to getting back to 100 percent health so I can practice a little more. I just think I need a little more practice to be right on top of my game."

Asked how much of a problem his knee had been at Waialae this week, Scott replied: "It''s not too big of a factor to play.

"It''s just frustrating to have to ice it every night and kind of get it ready for the next day''s play. It would be nice just to be able to go out and play."

Scott, who clinched his sixth PGA Tour title at last year''s Byron Nelson Championship in an otherwise frustrating campaign, says he has renewed his enthusiasm for the game.

"I''m really motivated and I feel like the drive is back," added the Australian, whose world ranking has slipped to 18th from a career-high third. "It had certainly gone a little off track there but now I''m feeling good about things."

He is also eagerly anticipating his title defense this week at Doha Golf Club.  Continued...