Scott, 38, carded a five-under-par 65 on Saturday and will tee off two strokes behind American leader Brooks Koepka at Bellerive on Sunday.
"A couple years have slipped by where I really haven't contended and I'm going to relish it tomorrow because if it's another five, basically you're wheeling me out to pasture at that point," he said after the best round of the afternoon.
If he wins, Scott no doubt will dedicate it to fellow Australian Jarrod Lyle, who died of cancer on Wednesday, but he is too self-effacing to suggest it is more important to him than others.
"No matter who wins tomorrow I think if that person has met Jarrod Lyle, then they will have felt something with him passing this week," he said.
"It's been such a difficult thing for us to get our heads around because we have been removed from Jarrod and his family back in Australia."
Scott's lone major triumph came at the 2013 Masters, where he wielded a long putter to become the first from his country to collect a Green Jacket, less than a year after blowing the British Open with a late meltdown.
He had an 11-week stint as world number one in 2014 but has struggled at times in the past couple of years and is currently ranked a lowly 76th.
He he has shown signs of life recently, however.
Three weeks ago he was on the fringe of contention going into the final round of the British Open at Carnoustie but he pressed too hard in strong winds and drowned his hopes in a burn on the fourth hole.
It was an experience he will keep in mind on Sunday.
"I was right there and unfortunately I think I took the wrong mindset into the Sunday round and expected myself to shoot too low in pretty tough conditions and shot myself in the foot," he said.
"But it was good to be back feeling like I had a chance to win a major.
"There's a good score out there.
"However, there's the pressure of Sunday of a major as well. So I think what I'll learn from the Open Championship is not to really put a number in mind."
(Reporting by Andrew Both; Editing by Ian Ransom)
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