ATLANTA -- The consistency Adam Scott sought has been there in the form of nine top-10s finishes in 18 events on the PGA TOUR this year. Even more impressive, he’s either been second or third six times when the final accounting was done.

The young Australian hasn’t been able to turn any of those into victories, though, so it’s safe to say he came to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola with a sense of urgency this week.

And at the midway point of the $6.5 million event at storied East Lake Golf Club, Scott finds himself in position to end the season on a positive note. He’s tied with Joe Durant atop the leaderboard at 4 under and owning a three-stroke advantage.

“(The year has) been a little bit disappointing,” Scott admitted. “I’ve played probably the best I ever have over the period of a year but have nothing to show for it other than a win in Singapore.

“I was looking for a little more than that, really. This weekend is a good chance for me to get something out of my good play over the year.”

The talented 26-year-old hasn’t played poorly when he’s been in contention, though.

Scott shot 64 in the final round of the Nissan Open to finish one stroke behind Rory Sabbatini. Tiger Woods beat him at the World Golf Championships-American Express Championship while Vijay Singh finished two strokes ahead at the Barclays Classic.

“You look at how Tiger closes out the deal when he's in contention,” Scott said. “And that is something that I need to look at and figure out how I can do that, because I had two or three really good chances this year to do that and I didn't get it done. “That was disappointing, but that's something a young player needs to learn, too. I think I've been pretty fortunate in years past that when I was in contention I won. Sometimes it's not that easy.”

Despite the absence of a PGA TOUR victory this year, Scott has risen to No. 4 in the world and sixth on the PGA TOUR money list. He’s third in scoring average as well as in the TOUR’s All-Around ranking.

Consistency has been the key, and this week is no exception. Scott has hit 64 percent of his fairways and 72 percent of the greens in regulation. He’s averaged 29 putts per round, which ranks eighth.

“That’s where I wanted to take my game, to be more consistent,” said Scott, who has now shot five straight rounds in the 60s at East Lake. “I've been saying that for three, four years. It just takes time.

“I think this year I've driven the ball better than any other year in the past. And when you're playing out of the fairway a lot more, it gives you a lot more opportunity because it seems like every TOUR stop is growing the rough at a little bit longer year after year. So I've given myself a lot of opportunities. I think I've putted pretty decent this year. I haven't really been hot or cold, I've just been solid. I think all areas of my game have improved.”

Scott came to THE TOUR Championship on the heels of only his second missed cut of the season after rounds of 71 and 74 last week’s Chrysler Championship. He’s hit his driver better this week, though -- missing only four fairways Friday, all in the first cut -- and consequently has given himself opportunities to score.

“It’s been pretty stress-free golf so far for me, which is nice,” Scott said.

His round could have been lower, too. Scott counted four birdie putts that lipped out. As it was, he made putts from 5, 30, 10 and 6 feet on the front nine to shoot 31. His lone bogey came on the 10th hole where his approach buried in a greenside bunker.

“On a good day it could have been four shots better probably,” the soft-spoken Scott said.

Scott refused to dwell on the missed putts, though, preferring to focus on the fact that he’s repeatedly giving himself chances to score.

“It's a good sign,” Scott said. “I think the important thing for me to do is keep driving it well and drive it in the fairway like I have been. That's how you get opportunities around this course. If you're in the rough, then it's very difficult to get it close to the hole.”

Scott has already won the PGA TOUR’s showcase event, THE PLAYERS Championship in 2004, so a victory at East Lake against another elite field would give him something of a matched set. He’s more interested in finishing the season strong, though.

“To win the two biggest TOUR events would be great, but I think for me this year, this would be a great way for me to finish the year and really feel like I've gotten something out of my good play throughout the year,” Scott said.

“So I've got two hard days ahead of me, and I've got to push myself.”