[Photo: Getty images]

Adam Scott will enjoy a full-circle moment within his stellar golf career when he returns to the site of his PGA Tour debut 24 years after the fact at this week’s BMW Championship at Denver’s Castle Pines course.

Scott was in his first year as a professional in 2000 when he missed the cut in The International at Castle Pines, a course that sits at 6,200 feet above sea level.

Now, 44, the Queenslander returns as a major winner, former world No.1 and winner of 14 PGA Tour events. This week’s BMW is the second event in the three-tournament PGA Tour playoffs. Scott, as well as Jason Day and Cameron Davis form the Australian contingent at the elite 50-man field who are all hoping to advance to next week’s 30-man, season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Scott, who recently finished second at the Scottish Open and then T10 in his 24th consecutive British Open a week later, has fought back from being outside the top 60 in the world rankings midway through this year to play in all four majors. That included a difficult qualifying run into the US Open when he played five tournaments in a row and a 36-hole final qualifier in Ohio. He also had to rely on sponsor’s invitations to get into a handful of the PGA Tour’s $US20 million Signature events this year.

“I haven’t had any bad results really,” Scott said. “My game’s been fairly solid, but I just haven’t quite found that momentum. But the last few weeks is looking better, so it’s a good time a year to be playing well.”

Next year will be easier for Scott courtesy of making the BMW field, where the top 50 are guaranteed eligibility for all the Signature events for 2025. Scott needs a minimum of a two-way tie for 20th to advance to the top 30 who make it to East Lake for the Tour Championship. He will likely need a result much better than that given how tough it is to move from his current standing of 41st into the top 30. Getting to the Tour Championship would also trigger exemptions into all four majors next year.

“I feel like my game’s really taking shape the last couple of months. I’ve been a winner on the PGA Tour and I believe I can still be a winner on the PGA Tour and that’s my focus for this week,” Scott, world No.31, said.

“I expect more out of myself, but I’m at an interesting point in my career. I’m balancing and juggling a lot of things just at the golf course, let alone the rest of my life. The game’s moving fast and that’s a different thing for someone from my generation, I believe. And trying to get everything in line and stay competitive has been the biggest challenge.”

Former world No.1 Day, as well as recent Rocket Mortgage Classic winner, Davis, and Scott are the last three Australians standing in the playoffs.

“I still believe I have the game in me to be in that elite group of players on the PGA Tour and I still think I’ve got some wins in me out here,” he said. “There’s still lots for me to accomplish and it’d be a feather in the cap for all the 40 pluses to make it to East Lake these days because it’s certainly getting harder and harder for us.”