It is a case of Queensland continuing  to rule this year’s PGA Tour with John Senden and defending Masters champion Adam Scott inside the top-three heading to the third round at Augusta National.

Senden, and winner of the recent Valspar Championship, posted six birdies in a round of 68 to move into second place at four under par and just three behind former Masters champion Bubba Watson.

The 2012 Augusta winning hero birdied five holes in succession from his 12th, and despite dropping a shot at the last, his round of 68 was good enough for a seven under par 36-hole leading tally.

But while Watson looks to be fitted with a second green jacket history is against the Bagdad-born player who has led eight times before after the opening two rounds of a PGA Tour counting event, but only managed to close out one and that being 2011 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Senden and Scott find themselves on back-to-back pages in the official 2014 Masters Players Guide but with the 42-year Senden ending the round just one ahead of the fellow Queenslander.

Senden’s opening 36-hole effort is easily his best in 12 prior Masters showings including when he was lying seventh after two days a year ago.

And while Senden emerged as a possible new Masters champion Scott

“Yeah, I am. I’m excited to keep doing what I’ve been doing, playing good golf,” said Senden.

“And if I keep believing in myself and enjoying it, that’s the difference when you’re under the pressure, if you can keep a smile on your face.

“There’s plenty of ups and downs on this golf course but then with the golf course drying out, I think that if I just get out there and just play my game, I just just want to get out there and do my best, and that’s good enough. That will be great.”

And after the confidence boost of his recent victory at Tampa Bay, and Senden’s second on the PGA Tour, Senden is quietly confident of achieving what a year ago was totally unimaginable, and that is becoming the second Australian to be fitted with an Augusta National members green jacket.

“All I can do is stick to the game plan, and that’s doing my job well,” he said.

“That’s the only thing I can do. Bubba has his game plan and I think that I could just go out there and hit shots and hit putts. And if I can do that well  tomorrow, well, I will that will be great because I know that I can accept the ups and downs during the day, I can accept that, too.

“It’s just about how you play the game. And I think that’s why we’re at the top. We can deal with it.”

And while Senden emerged as a possible new Masters champion Scott kept alive his hope of becoming only the fifth player in Masters history to successfully defend at Augusta National.

Scott was in trouble up the final fairway and observed in deep conversation with is caddy Steve Williams after his tee shot at 18 veered into the trees.

However with the comfort from Williams ‘If you can get a club on it, then go with the 7-iron’.  Scott put his second into a greenside bunker but managed to get up-and-down for par.

And here is the first few questions to Scott after his round:-

“It was very difficult out there today.  Anything even par or better at a Major is normally a good score, especially today, I would say. And that par kept me in the tournament.

Q.  How worried were you after the front nine?

ADAM SCOTT:  Well, I was certainly aware of 10, 11, and 12 playing difficult and knew that I had to start hitting some quality shots.

“But I hit two really quality shots on the 9th that felt like the best swings I had made to that point.  I wanted to keep that feeling for the back nine.  I played a really good back nine.  It was really solid.

“Fortunate par, maybe, at the last, but you got to take advantage of a bit of luck out of the trees.

Q.  Was it sort of a scrambling sort of a round would you call it?

ADAM SCOTT:  Well, I think probably everyone would today.  There’s no way guys were playing flawless tee to green, it was so difficult.  Greens are getting so firm in the afternoon that it was, if you were out of position, it was almost impossible to hold greens.  You needed to be right in the fairway and hopefully with a wedge.  The greens are very firm now.

Q.  As well as you played on the back, there could have been, you could have picked up a couple more shots.

ADAM SCOTT:  Oh, I think I had a good chance on 17 there.  That would have been great to knock that in.  I hit a good putt and it just hit the top side.

“Like I said, when the greens are like this, you got to be so precise, whether it’s putting or with your iron play.  It’s going to be a demanding weekend if we continue to have this nice dry weather.

Q.  You experienced success here the last few years, you have a comfort level obviously.  How much did that come into play in terms of your patience out there and holding it together?

ADAM SCOTT:  Yeah, there’s no doubt I’m a much more patient player the last few years.  As I made a few bogeys, I remembered I did last year on Friday on the front nine as well.  I shot 39‑33, I believe, last year, just like this.

“It doesn’t mean just because you did it last year you’re going to do it again, but there’s always opportunities to hit good shots on the back nine.  And I felt it was so important to get through 10, 11, and 12 without dropping another shot, so I could get to 13 and 15 and maybe create some chances for eagle or at least have good looks at birdie.

“I knew if I finished the day in red numbers I would be in a pretty good position going into the weekend.

Q.  For the rest of the field, how far back is too far back?

ADAM SCOTT:  I still think if you’re playing, you got a chance.  I think the cut’s going to be four, is it?  It all depends how firm and how tricky the pin spots are tomorrow.

“Certainly depends on how Bubba plays and a couple other guys up the top play.  If they move in the right direction, then it’s going to get away from some guys.  But if you go out early tomorrow and a guy 4‑over ends up at 2‑under, he might be within a good chance for tomorrow.

Q.  Your overall assessment of today.

ADAM SCOTT:  Well, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, but given everything, I’m absolutely satisfied with that.  It just means tomorrow’s round’s extremely important for me.  It’s going to have to be maybe the best round of the week.”