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WGC CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIP

March 2, 2016

Adam Scott

Miami, Florida

MARK WILLIAMS: We'd like to welcome Adam Scott into the interview room at the World Golf Championships - Cadillac Championship.

Welcome, Adam. You're coming off some great form. Obviously a win last week at The Honda Classic and a good performance at the Northern Trust Open. You've had a couple of top 5s here in the last couple of years. Just give us your expectations about this event this week.

ADAM SCOTT: It's great to be coming into any event in good form, but certainly a World Golf Championship event, and it would be nice to carry on playing the way I have been this week and finish off this kind of three-week run I'm on with another really good showing and keep the momentum going and the confidence high as we approach April.

MARK WILLIAMS: You're one of eight Australians in the field, the country with the most represented outside of the U.S. There are a couple young Australians in here many of us probably don't know about. Have you met the younger guys, Nathan Holman and Jordan Zunic at all?

ADAM SCOTT: I know Nathan. I've played with him a couple times back home. I don't know Jordan at all. Good to see a couple of the other guys here. I know Marcus Fraser probably got in from his win a couple of weeks ago. I saw Scott Hend here today.

I think for Australia, it's reassuring to know that the talent pool is still pretty deep, even though maybe we don't have quite as many guys out here as regularly as we once did. But some are up-and-coming.

Q. Speaking of your Australian friends, you have some kind of a charity organization in Australian that you use to support or encourage young golfers, do you not, or tournaments you sponsor?
ADAM SCOTT: I have supported young kids going to school and getting an education back in Australia, yeah.

Q. But it's not for golf, it's for education mostly?
ADAM SCOTT: It is mostly for education, yes. There is an affiliation with the PGA of Australia there. That's just part of it, though.

Q. You talked about this on Monday about taking what you've done the last two weeks and building that into a bigger year. Can you just kind of expand on how you're able to maintain this momentum now?
ADAM SCOTT: If I knew exactly, I would never have to really address it I guess.

You know, I think I've just got to keep doing the same things, keep the level of intensity up out on the golf course. Sometimes when you're starting further down the list, you're more driven to kind of get back up the top, and I'm kind of on that path again like I was maybe a few years ago.

Keeping the momentum is probably easier said than done, but I'm just trying to manage my game really smart at the moment. Play and play well, but keep it fairly stress-free. Get myself coming into the next five weeks feeling pretty fresh and in good shape so that I'm at the Masters ready to go and full of confidence.

Q. Along those lines, how different do you feel this week compared to a year ago this week? And secondly, how close do you feel like you're playing to the level you did in 2013 and even parts of 2014?
ADAM SCOTT: I feel fairly similar, 12 months on. This is my first event of the year last year. I didn't really know what to expect. Obviously I think I've got a good sense of where my game is at after the last couple weeks.

So maybe expectations might be slightly higher, but I did play well at this point last year, too. I would expect myself to continue playing well. Where my game is at as far as previous years, I mean, I think my ball-striking last week, particularly. L.A. not so much, I just managed my game well there.

But last week, the ball-striking really came around. Now, that was just one week. I'd like to turn that into two weeks and be sure I'm doing all the right things. But it's as good as I've struck the ball on any given week in any given year, really, so the confidence is high there. But it would be nice to do that again and really feel like I've got it in the slot.

Q. Last week before the round, I observed you on the end of the range, was there a reason for that? Were you preparing for the wind?
ADAM SCOTT: On Sunday, you mean? It was just a different wind and I wanted to hit back in a different direction.

Q. You're not a U.S. citizen, but what are your perceptions of Donald Trump and the intersection of sports and politics this week going on at the golf course?
ADAM SCOTT: Hopefully they don't intersect at all. Should be the beauty of sport.

Q. Who inspired you to play golf?
ADAM SCOTT: Who did, or what?

Q. Who.
ADAM SCOTT: Greg Norman was my inspiration to play golf. He was the best player in the world when I was probably about your age, and he was a huge icon in Australian sports. I think if you ask anyone ten years older than me or ten years younger than me, you might get the same answer; that Greg Norman was their inspiration.

Q. Speaking of Greg, there's only been two 63s ever shot at the Masters. Obviously the tournament record. Do you see that being approached or perhaps beaten? I know there's been a lot of 64s.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think it's more probable -- it's probable that will be beaten in the upcoming years. We keep seeing, and it might only be once a year, but remarkable rounds. Like if you think back here 12 months ago, I think J.B. Holmes shot 62 here, and no one saw that coming.

Augusta National has been lengthened and stretched out and tricked up in every way possible, but I think still, the guys are getting better and better faster than they can do anything to that.

Now in saying that, it hasn't been -- no one's got close maybe for a few years to that number but I think it can happen. There are still the opportunities with 13 and 15 for eagles, and two good shots at the right time and a nice solid round. Other than that, I think 9-, 10-under is definitely on the cards.

Q. In that context, what Jordan did last year, if you can just put into that context from when you won, and only a second time, and a lot of youngsters go there thinking, hey, I can do it, too?
ADAM SCOTT: I would agree with that. Every once in awhile, these exceptional people come along that go against everything that we see for awhile. Think experience counts for so much but when you've got talent like Jordan and a mind-set like he has, I don't think -- he mustn't listen or read or believe any of it. Just like Tiger did when he came along; it was his first professional Masters when he won, and you know, there are always these exceptional talents that make history like that.

As far as going back to the scoring, I think just Jordan equalling, or did he break the record last year? He equalled it maybe -- but also the total. You know, that's the first time anyone's gotten close since so much length was added and a few other bits and pieces changed there. I think it's just a sign that a scoring record will get broken there in good conditions.

Q. You mentioned this is your third week in a row, in contention the first two weeks. Can you talk about, it seems like it's always more mental than physical fatigue. Would you agree with that and how have you kind of overcome that?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think like I said, I'm trying to keep it a little more stress-free than normal maybe. I feel a bit lighter and that it has not really weighed me down. It's been more enjoyable, if that makes any sense.

Of course playing well is enjoyable, but sometimes it is tiring to be in contention week-after-week, but it's just two weeks. I've come off a four- or five-week rest beforehand, and I had in my mind, I'm going to play three weeks.

I feel like I've just somehow taken the pressure off me in the way I'm approaching each round, and week and the amount of energy that I'm using seems to be less, because I still feel pretty fresh and I'm very excited to play this week. Hopefully it all pans out the right way.

Q. Not that he seems to be struggling with it, but if Jordan was to ask you how you dealt with increased expectations after becoming a Masters Champion, what would you tell him?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I'd be surprised if he ever asked, because I think he's done -- I can only praise Jordan for everything he's done, the way he's handled himself and the way he's played after winning the Masters. To win the U.S. Open, it's stuff -- it's like fairy tale stuff. But amazing that that's the reality.

He's got a long road ahead of him, but I've always told Jordan, he should keep pushing while he's hot. You just never know how long it's all going to last and how good you can get. So if I was back in his position or if I wound back the clock and could do it again, I would have pushed myself harder at that age to see how good I can get. That's what I would encourage Jordan to continue to do, because I think he's great.

Q. If you were the czar at Augusta National on 13, would you leave it at 510 or would you lengthen it? What might you do?
ADAM SCOTT: I think it's fine the way it is. I'm happy with where it's at. I personally wouldn't mind if it's longer. It probably suits me and a few others maybe more than most. I don't think it's an absolute must-change at all. The hole's a great hole. It's provided so much excitement. I'm not really sure what their motivation to lengthen it would be, other than just to have a struggle around the corner.

Q. Is it one of the best par 4 1/2's in the world?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, yeah, it's one of the best par 5s in the world. For me, it's my favorite hole at Augusta. So if it gets changed, I hope it only gets changed for the better. I really don't know if lengthening it would be better or not. But I don't want them to change any more of the character of that hole, because it's beautiful, strategic, challenging, all those things that you want in a golf hole. I think it's just a great golf hole the way it is.

MARK WILLIAMS: Thanks, Adam. We appreciate your time. Have a good week this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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