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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 17, 2015Adam ScottST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND MIKE WOODCOCK: Good afternoon. We'd like to welcome Adam Scott to the interview room. Adam, it was a great round today, 5-under par 67. That leaves you two shots off the lead as it stands. You must be very satisfied after today's work. ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, absolutely. Any time you can go bogey-free at a major, it's going to be a good round, and in these conditions it was really good. I kind of chipped my way around the golf course and never really seemed to get too far out of position, so I didn't have to scramble too hard. I made a few good putts today because I left a couple out there yesterday, so it all kind of turned around, and very happy putting together 67. Q. Some lengthy putts can be the key on the Old Course, as well, with the double greens. ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, you're going to get a lot of long putts out there, and I lagged nicely and didn't leave myself too much work, and some of them are so flat that I think you're going to make a few. You're going to see a few putts go in, and the greens certainly are a little slower today with all the moisture still in them probably. You could be, I guess, somewhat aggressive putting into the wind because the wind was certainly a factor on the greens, as well. Q. Given the last few years, is this old hat to you yet, getting in contention in these things, and what have you learnt from those three that will help you this weekend? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it is. It's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to play my way in with a chance. There's so much golf to be played, and I'm excited about this opportunity this weekend. But you look at the weather forecast, and you don't know what's going to happen. It's going to be -- could be extremely challenging tomorrow, the holes we get to play could just be a grind. But I really enjoy it. The last few years at The Open has been some of my favourite golf. Getting into contention at this championship and having a chance to lift the Claret Jug is what it's all about. This is a great position. I'm excited for my weekend. Q. Is it a desire or a sense of Open redemption in the soul after three years ago? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, there is. I mean, I'm very motivated. I definitely let that one slip, and I would love to be sitting here having won The Open, but I'm going to have to work hard for it. I've had a couple good looks at it since then. I played really well last year and was just too far behind, and then at Muirfield I was leading on the back nine, and Mickelson finished great and I didn't. You know, I think I'm playing with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. Q. Can you take us through 17? On the tee shot you smiled with Stevie afterwards. Was that the crowd reaction to the line you took, and then also that second shot looked pretty incredible, you kept it low. What was that, and if you could just explain it? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I mean, I hit the tee shot so well, and as soon as the wind hit it, I knew it was fine. It was still just right over the L in hotel, which is really as far right as you really want to go, but I hit it so pure. They might have been worried, but I was sure it was fine, that one. The shot into the green was maybe one of the best shots I've ever played into 17. I had 196 to the hole and about 176 to the front, and I chipped a 4-iron landing it about 160, I thought, and it ran up there perfectly. I've worked hard on these little chip shots the last couple of years. I don't practise it a lot with a 4-iron, but I do right up to a 6-iron which I used all day today, and that one just came out perfect. When you take such a small swing like you know the ball can stay low and still kind of penetrate the wind and be very effective on this kind of golf course. That was a very pleasing shot. Q. Not everyone would embrace a grind of a round like today was. What is it about a day like today that you so enjoy? ADAM SCOTT: Well, I think I was a little bit lucky in the delay coming because it looked really awful when I woke up. I think I caught a break, and then I was in a good frame of mind after that. I woke up not happy and then had three hours to really think I've gotten lucky here and try and take advantage of it. But like I said, I've really enjoyed kind of battling for this tournament the last few years, and every time I put myself in contention, I feel like this is what I want to do. Most of the time it doesn't go my way, but it's a good feeling being there, and that's kind of how I picked my way around the course today after 9, knocking a nice putt in and then making a couple quick birdies on the back nine. I felt like I was in this golf tournament, and the focus just narrows, and it needs to with those last holes no matter what, but it really helped my focus narrow and make sure I was there at the end. Q. How much communication did you have with Steve after you guys parted ways, and does it feel any different now than when you guys were a full time team? ADAM SCOTT: We had a little bit of communication. We checked in with each other every so often and stayed in touch, I guess. But everyone is busy, so you know, it wasn't like I was calling him every day. It does. I mean, it feels like we've really hit our stride quickly. We obviously had a few long chats before he came and caddied for me at the U.S. Open, as I was begging and pleading for him to come out there. Unfortunately I have to admit that. But I think we hit our stride straight away. Obviously he lays it on the table for you, and you have to like it or not. That's worked really well, and he certainly knows how to get the best out of me on the golf course, and that was our goal for these few weeks that he's going to caddie, and so far we're doing a pretty good job. Q. What did you say to Stevie to finally -- he said that the fact that the Open was at St. Andrews helped him kind of make the decision, but what did you do to get him over the hump to get him to do it? ADAM SCOTT: I don't really want to have to say how great he is, but I did butter him up a little bit, and our record was really good the last few years in the majors, and it came to this time of year and I felt like I'd take a shot like I did when I first called Steve to come and fill in for me when he was still working for Tiger. One of the things I kind of learned from guys like Steve and others was if you don't ask, you'll never get. I thought I'd take a shot and give him a call even though he was adamant he wasn't coming out. It was lucky that The Open was at St. Andrews. I then had to go practise really hard so I was going to play as good as he'd expect. Q. I apologise for one more Stevie Williams question here, but you have your own experience on this golf course. Obviously he's been on the bag for a win here at the golf course. Just from an information standpoint, where are you looking for input from Stevie Williams through the round? ADAM SCOTT: We've been probably in more discussion here for two days than we normally are at any other course. It's one of his great attributes is he gets a great feel for the moment and a feel for the shots, and he's obviously seen a lot of great shots around here and other places. Just to be clear that I'm not going to hit the wrong shot, we discuss it a little more because it is crucial out here. If you pick the wrong one, you can really end up in who knows where and then struggle. So we're just trying to be very clear, and that helps you commit to hit the shot you decide in the end. He's been coming here a long time. He has a very good feel for it. He does a lot of homework on this golf course every day and makes sure I'm in the best position I can be. Q. You used the expression chip on your shoulder with regard to what happened in The Open. How disappointing was that when it didn't happen and how long did it take you to get over it in 2012? ADAM SCOTT: Probably I tried to brush it off, and I did see all the positives. I played so well, and really, it was the first time I'd ever kind of controlled the outcome of a major championship. I guess it was all what I did coming down the stretch. That really did hurt, but I was so happy with the way I played generally that week that I could lift myself above anywhere I'd been before and the field for that week that I just wanted another crack at it. So by the time the PGA came around a month later or so, I was moving on and hoping to do the same kind of thing at the PGA, and it didn't quite happen, but then it did eight months later at the Masters. I probably carried that chip into the Masters and maybe it got a little bit smaller, but still, I feel like I've been really close to lifting this trophy, and I'm very motivated to do it this weekend now that I'm in this position, and I'd be very disappointed if I never did in my career when I got so close. Q. How much self-analysis do you do after what happened in '12, and you talked about the PGA but also you talked about a couple of the other Open Championships. And the other part of the question is at some point we almost looked at Stevie as part of the reason that you may not have gotten it done. Did you ever feel that way? ADAM SCOTT: You've got to look at every factor. I certainly look at all things myself and go over everything I did. You go over everything Steve did, everything the coach puts in, all these people around me in the team contribute something. We looked at it all. Of course if you could do it over, you'd do something different because I'd want a different result. But it was a huge learning experience for me in exactly what is it like at that point in a major championship. I'd never really been there before, although I'd come close at the Masters the year before. It was not quite the same. You know, there's certainly no blame to put on anyone at all. It was -- major championships coming down the wire, you don't have to be that off to lose like I did, and at the end of the day, I kind of put it down to I didn't one-putt any of the last four greens, and that is not going to win a major. Q. On top of the butter up, did you have to give him any sort of pay raise? ADAM SCOTT: He's got plenty, mate. He doesn't need it. (Laughter.) Q. How would you evaluate your confidence level with the putter now as opposed to say a couple months ago during the spring? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, much better. I switched to a new design by Scotty Cameron at the U.S. Open which I think is a fantastic putter, something we've been working on for quite a while, and sometimes those little switches just spark something, and I putted lovely at the U.S. Open, and today I felt I putted well. I didn't putt my best yesterday, but it was tough in that wind holing out yesterday, and kind of adjusted to that condition today nicely. I was in a rut for sure for the first few months of this year, and that was frustrating. That was holding me back. It was a nice time to switch and get a little confidence going with it. Q. The patriotic question: There are four Aussies in the top nine. Is there a reason why here or why The Open that we're so competitive? ADAM SCOTT: Well, I think we've got some strong players, that's for sure. The Open lends itself a little bit more than some of the other majors to everyone being able to shoot a good score if they play well. You can get away with a few misses in the right areas, and you can scramble around this course. You get options with shots. It's just not one style of golf like some of the other majors generally are. I think I said before the start of the week, and I felt at other events, almost anyone in the field if they play well can shoot a good score at The Open. It's not just limited to one style of golf. Q. If Stevie is not on your bag this week, are you sitting here right now? ADAM SCOTT: I mean, I think -- I'd like to think so for my own sake, but it was the right call for me to make at this point in the year to get him back out and instill a bit of confidence in my game and get back in that flow. He's a huge factor in the way I've played the last few years. I have to absolutely give him a lot of credit for that. He helped take my game up to the levels it's been along with my coach the last few years and a lot of hard work from all of us. MIKE WOODCOCK: Adam, thank you. Very well played. Best of luck. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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