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VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 10, 2018

Adam Scott

Palm Harbor, Florida

Q. Adam, 66 today out there today. What was it about your round out there today?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, no bogies is always a good thing. You saw yesterday I putted so poorly. I putted well on Thursday, so poorly yesterday and putted well today.

Keeping the errors off the card and have five birdies makes a really good round. Hopefully I'm within shouting distance at the end of the day. Be fun to have a good round tomorrow.

Q. I had a chance to see you on 17. You put yourself in a tough spot. You put a lot of spin on that bunker shot. Did you feel like you were in as tough a spot as I thought you were?
ADAM SCOTT: I hit it in the worse spot there, my poorest shot of the day. I hit a really good shot that you wouldn't think you would leave short.

I made the putt, which I felt was important, because, really, that's the difference in my game the last 12 months and today, I know it's a big comparison but the momentum. I just never had the momentum and that one kind of kept it going and hopefully into tomorrow.

Q. Great playing.
ADAM SCOTT: Well, yesterday I just putted so poorly, was one of those days you want to forget but I played well the first day, it was tough conditions then and under par was a good score. I played well tee to green, really well, actually. I just had to keep doing the doing the same and think something with my putting, making a few. And that's what I did today.

Q. What did you change?
ADAM SCOTT: Not a lot. I feel I've been progressing nicely with the stroke even though I haven't necessarily showed that in stats or making a lot of putts, but I just straightened my legs a little bit over the ball and felt like the putter was swinging a bit better today. It's just one of those feeling things and it was nice. It worked well.

Q. Your ball-striking was really good and when you missed you scrambled really well. So, that makes -- that has to give you a lot of confidence.
ADAM SCOTT: It does. I feel like I've kind of made the worse of my golf 12 months or so now. Just never had momentum because I haven't scrambled when I've had -- when I've had a good round I always not got that one up and down that you need to and then bogeyed the next hole as well after that.

You know, when you have a round like today, you can see the difference so clearly how getting that one or two up and down at the right moment makes a big difference and, hopefully, that's the start of a lot of those kind of rounds for me now.

Q. Along those lines, 16, 17, pretty good makes for you there. How important, I guess, were those given what you just said?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, very important. I mean at some point you kind of got to break that streak of mediocrity and I was feeling like I might not be right in this tournament at the end of the day but if I can make -- get it in the clubhouse I might have a shot of actually contending in a tournament, and that's what I'm here to do, and I feel my game is really close to being at that level. I'd like that challenge so I was working hard to do it and finally knocked a couple putts in.

Q. When were you last in contention?
ADAM SCOTT: Honestly, I don't even know. Can't think. Memorial maybe last year. I think that that was a short lived contention.

Q. Going back to Augusta in a couple weeks' time, as a former champion, any less pressure on you or the same as going to another tournament, you want to peak that week?
ADAM SCOTT: I want to peak that week, of course. I think it's less pressure. I don't need to try and win a Major or the Masters. I know I can do that. That's a confidence thing and, you know, generally I probably think every guy who has won there has a level of comfort with the golf course and if you get in that situation on Sunday where you've got to play 15, 16, 17, 18, at some point you were tested as you got through there and I think really being able to draw on that is a huge advantage to a guy who hasn't.

Q. Is this the continuation of something that you started at Honda or is this, do you feel like it's something that you're taking a different step this week?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, continuation for sure. You know, I felt like L.A. wasn't that bad, it was just -- again, I wasn't very sharp. I didn't make those putts and tough to do that around there. You have to play so good because you don't want too many of those 8 and 10-footers for par on the West Coast, generally, and then Honda was really good with the exception of two holes on Thursday, and then now I'm trying to keep some momentum going. Yesterday was not exactly what I wanted but it was important to come out today and do that.

So, you know, I'm kind of on track. Good day tomorrow and I feel like I can take a lot of confidence to Bay Hill and maybe get right in from Thursday, Friday next week.

Q. You've been to a few of these Valspars. How would you describe the different atmosphere around here this week with the ones in the past?
ADAM SCOTT: It's incredible. It's fantastic, obviously, to see Tiger playing golf and here at Valspar, too, the difference he makes to the Tour is huge. It's a huge bonus. I mean it's awful to say, we kind of got used to not seeing him out here and it was still good but it is that much better when he does come and play. So, I think everyone here in this area is going to have a great weekend out at the golf course.

Q. Follow that up, just looking ahead to a place like the Masters, which obviously is not the Valspar, but what do you think of that place to have Tiger back?
ADAM SCOTT: It's similar. The Masters is the Masters and somehow there's always a great story line no matter what is going on. You just have to add Tiger in the mix. Even larger than everybody put together at one point.

And, you know, he certainly hasn't had a lot of all that just because he hasn't played. He's a huge draw and he plays good this week and the excitement going into the Masters is going to be massive because I don't know if any of us would were really thinking he was a true favorite in there and he might be after two more rounds of golf.

Q. You're here to concentrate on the process because you have no choice (inaudible)
ADAM SCOTT: Trying less?

Q. You're not focused on expectation but you're just trying to survive.
ADAM SCOTT: Your expectations are definitely down and even some of your shot selection, you know, you don't try and hit the fancy shot, just make it easy on yourself and dump it over left on the green and make no errors. Playing a little bit sick isn't the worse thing ever.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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