With only the top 30 progressing to the $US40 million PGA event, the Queenslander shot a second successive two-under 68 to be four under for the tournament at Bellerive Country Club in St Louis.
Scott is tied 19th, eight shots adrift of leader Wyndham Clark who repeated his scoring from the day before with an impressive 64.
The 46-year-old Scott has been a model of consistency in a most-impressive career, first winning the coveted Tour Championship 20 years ago.
He was steady again on Saturday (AEST), making three birdies on the front nine and remaining blemish-free throughout - until he got to the par-five 17th.
The one-time world No.1 dropped a shot after finding trouble off the tee and then steering his approach into the rough. He then had a long putt for par which he then left short. He tried to make amends on the 18th but saw his birdie attempt slip agonisingly past the hole.
Min Woo Lee followed his 69 with a two-over 72. The Australian had an up-and-down round that included five birdies, three bogeys and two doubles.
Lee dropped 17 spots in the field to be tied 43rd, and is 22nd in the projected FedEx standings after starting the tournament 18th.
Clark entered this week fifth in points thanks largely to a two-win season, including his second US Open. He admitted a playoff win would look nice in his trophy case.
"Obviously majors are the No.1, and then any time you can win any tournament's big, but a signature event or a playoff event is massive," Clark said.
While Clark is safely booked for Atlanta next week, Gary Woodland has everything to play for as No.31 in the standings, currently the first player out. He birdied his last two holes to shoot a 5-under 65 and take sole possession of second at 11 under.
J.J. Spaun (66) is third at 10 under. Sungjae Im of South Korea fired a 64 to tie Chris Gotterup (67) for fourth at nine under, while Patrick Cantlay carded a 65 to join Michael Thorbjornsen (66) at eight under.
Im (No.40), Cantlay (No.43) and Thorbjornsen (No.41) are all vying to play their way into the Tour Championship field. Per the PGA Tour's live standings, Thorbjornsen is projected to move into the 30th and final spot and Cantlay would only get to No.31.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy dropped from a share of the lead to a tie for eighth at seven under after posting a 69 Friday. He's joined by Collin Morikawa (65), Russell Henley (66) and Maverick McNealy (66).
World No.1 and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler bounced back from an opening 72 to post 65. That moved him to three under for the week, tied for 25th.
with Reuters
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