Scott navigated the stifling conditions to fire a first-round four-under 66 to be tied for fifth, just one stroke off the pace at the FedEx St Jude Championship.
Min Woo Lee, the only other Australian to make the 70-man field, is also well placed in a share of 13th after starting with a three-under 67.
Americans Michael Thorbjornsen, Kurt Kitayama, Michael Kim, Jake Knapp and triple major winner Jordan Spieth all carded 65s to set the pace at five under.
Only the top 50 players in the season-long point standings after Sunday's final round will progress to next week's BMW Championship in St Louis before the top 30 qualify for the $US40 million ($56.3 million) Tour Championship in Atlanta from August 27-30.
Scott, though, is playing for more than money.
As well as the $US10 million ($A14.6 million) winner's cheque in Atlanta, the 45-year-old former world No.1 knows the perks on offer at the season-ending showpiece.
The benefits include entry to next year's mega money Signature events, a further two-year full exemption to the PGA Tour and a start at the 2027 US Open.
They are all great lures for a man riding an astonishing 101 straight majors streak already.
"There's so much to gain from a good week right now," Scott said after offsetting a bogey at the first hole on Thursday with five birdies.
"My only feeling has been like make the most of this week, then it's all upside for me.
"Not only for the remainder of this season. It's possible to lock up a spot in the Tour Championship this week, but also what it does into next year - the Signatures and all the majors.
"It sets me up for what can be a year on my terms, which will be nice."
The 2013 Masters champ started the week in 29th spot in the FedExCup standings and has provisionally risen to 27th after round one.
Lee began in 17th position and has slipped back to 20th, still comfortably inside the top-30 zone for a Tour Championship start.
Co-leader Spieth and Kim are sitting not so comfortably, both outside the top 50 and in need of a strong finish just to make it to the season's penultimate event, let alone the finale.
This is the second straight season that Spieth, at No.54 and winless in more than four years, has been on the bubble going into the playoffs. He was at No.48 a year ago and fell out of the top 50.
He said the difference is the way he feels he is playing, even though he is the only player from the top 70 who qualified yet to register a top 10 this year.
"I'm just in a very different place about the game of golf than I was the last couple seasons heading into this event," said the former No.1.
"Again, if it's going to work out, great. If it doesn't, I know next year is going to be an awesome year for me. So it takes a lot of the stress off this week."
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