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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 11, 2018

Adam Scott

St. Louis, Missouri

THE MODERATOR: Good evening, welcome back to the 100th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club. I'm pleased to be joined by Adam Scott. Adam has a three day total of 200, his third round 65 today included six birdies and a single bogey. Adam, how nice was it to give yourself a doze of resiliency there, a little hiccup on 15, but then come in with birdie, birdie and just you had to take stock in that, don't you.

ADAM SCOTT: Absolutely. First time in a while being really in contention, I didn't realize until kind of on 17 that Brooks had dropped a couple shots, so I was a little hot at myself on 15 from making a bogey from nowhere, really. I missed a short putt. To come back birdie, birdie and even have a look on the last for birdie as well was really good, because definitely playing 17 the juices were flowing a little bit, I was feeling like I'm in the tournament and certainly has been awhile since I've really been feeling that, so it was nice to make a couple birdies while the adrenaline was up.

THE MODERATOR: You've been known for your consistent play a number of years back, but it's been awhile since you've gotten to Saturday evening and really been in the thick, thick, the top echelon of the leaderboard up there. That must be a good feeling.

ADAM SCOTT: Absolutely. I felt I was right there at the Open Championship, starting Sunday at 4-under, and unfortunately there 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 on the front nine a little bit. But it was good to be back feeling like I had a chance to win a major at the Open Championship just a month ago and tomorrow definitely it looks like I'll be a few back. But it's a packed leaderboard and there are going to be about 10 of us looking for that round of the year for everyone tomorrow. Someone will go out and do it and I'm glad I'm in that position that it could be me.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Aside from the Open Championship, two things, when was last time you sort of felt like you were, you had those juices flowing and were in contention?
ADAM SCOTT: I don't know. I would have to think hard. It's been quite awhile since I was really in contention. Which is, has been quite frustrating, but I'm glad I got a dose of it today because I want a whole lot tomorrow.

Q. Then you talked about the mindset at the Open Championship, what's your mindset for tomorrow given some of the scores we have seen maybe not so much today but, and the packed leaderboard.
ADAM SCOTT: Look, I still think there's a good score out there because this is a much softer golf course than what we were facing -- it was very severe wind on Sunday at the Open Championship, out of a different direction, and on a very firm course. This is much softer. 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, just go out and play and if I can hit fairways, I think I can give myself enough chances to shoot a low round tomorrow.

Q. You've played in I believe 17 consecutive PGAs. You got in this year as I understand it with a special exemption. Can you talk about that and when you learned you were in the field and it must feel great to be making really the most of such a great opportunity.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, well, I guess it's not written, but generally we, if you're in the top 100 you're expecting that kind of exemption. So I'm, I am very grateful that they do that every year, otherwise I wouldn't be here. So now I've got a chance to win tomorrow. But that's one of the great things about the PGA, it's the strongest field in golf by World Ranking and I think it's really great that they run down that World Ranking list to fill the field and make it the strongest event out here.

Q. With the golf world filled with heavy hearts with the passing of Jarrod Lyle, what would a win mean for you as an Aussie tomorrow?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, I mean it would be more than twice the thrill for me, but I think 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. It's been such a difficult thing I think for us to get our heads around because we have been removed from Jarrod and his family back in Australia and everything happening so suddenly last week and then this week. I don't even really know if we have all really had time to reflect on it and let it sink in. But I think that a part of everyone's playing for Jarrod out here this week.

Q. Have you played with Brooks and if so what is that experience like?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah I've, I have. I've played some practice rounds with him for sure and I played, we played the singles match, actually, at the Presidents Cup last year against each other. He's in great form, he's just won a major two months ago. I can see he's playing with a lot of confidence, he's giving that off, giving off that demeanor of a confident golfer. So I'm sure he's going to be liking his position starting tomorrow.

Q. I think you're first in around the greens and second in tee to green in this round today. And the putting, 30 putts. You had a lot of good putting, you had some not so good putting. When you have the putter in your hand on greens like these, what is the challenge when you stick them in there close but you know, obviously, speed is the issue, what's the challenge?
ADAM SCOTT: Hitting it hard enough. I think it's just -- for everyone I've played with this week it's been the same thing, no one's been knocking them through the break too much. I don't know why it's so difficult for the pros to, when greens get slower than we're used to, for us to hit it harder. It sounds pretty simple, but we just don't do a very good job of it. There's some pretty severe slope on the greens, so when you see the slope that's around the hole and you're used to fast, you know putts can get away from you, so you putt quite defensively, but you really don't have to here. It's really never getting away from you. So managing the speed is the hardest thing and especially as the day goes on they definitely slow up a little bit and, I mean, coming in, once you start hitting it out to 30 feet, it's very hard to find that nice rhythm in the stroke and not feel like you're bashing putts.

Q. When you won the Masters five years ago back in 2013 what will you take from that whole experience of winning your first major and take into tomorrow's final round?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, well I think I was in a pretty similar position. I wasn't leading, I was a couple back maybe going into that and I was incredibly patient and I was playing well and just nothing much was happening until the very end. Everything seemed to happen then and it all went my way in the end. But I've watched Tiger win 14 of these things hanging around a lot of the time. He ran away with a few, for sure, but he hung around for a lot. And I would love to hang around tomorrow. And that might mean shooting 5-under again to hang around, but I would love to be in the mix coming down the stretch and have the chance to hole some putts to win.

Q. To follow on, from that five years on from Augusta, how much more do you appreciate these chances and especially being in the final group?
ADAM SCOTT: I think a lot. Even after Augusta I felt like I had, I gave myself some chances even though I might not have been right there at the end, but certainly at the Open Championship a couple times since winning Augusta I led in the back nine on Sunday and, yeah, then 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, you know, at that point. So I want to make the most of this and hopefully it's the start of some continued form in the big tournaments.

Q. Typically the major courses will stress the field starting at the greens. This course, because of the conditions of the greens, puts the stress tee to green. That currently is a strength of your game. Does that sort of level the playing field for you in this situation?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I guess a little bit. I really do feel, I mean if you can drive it in the fairway here, use the driver a couple more times than you normally would and get it in the fairway, then it is an advantage, for sure. That's what I did today and I didn't have to putt my absolute best to shoot the score I shot. But the first couple rounds I did putt really well. And I have no doubt I'm going to need to make some putts tomorrow. It's going to be the pressures of trying to win a major and you're not going to hit every shot exactly how you want and some where I'm going to have to scramble and make some putts. And ultimately every time I see guys win tournaments, especially majors, down the stretch they're making the putts and I know that from my experience at the Masters. I made two putts on my last three holes that counted and the other guys didn't.

Q. How much value do you put on Brad's return to your form this week?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's been fantastic. I mean, we had such a tight relationship and to have, he's a very calming influence on my golf game. Even it's been very not technical the stuff we have been working on, just more feelings and a philosophy about how I play my best golf. It's kind of falling into place bit by bit without having to make me think or really work hard for it. So there's no doubt we work very well together and obviously I'm pleased we're working together again, because quite quickly I'm back in a position that I like to be.

Q. With differing opinions on what this golf course was going to be, what the scoring was going to be like, is it what you thought it was going to be and what kind of a champion it will identify?
ADAM SCOTT: I probably would have said the scoring might have been a little bit lower, but it's always funny because I'm not really looking at the trouble so much when I'm out there playing the practice rounds. But certainly if you're not in the shorter grass, then it gets tricky judging very soft, slow greens, I guess has been a challenge for people. I think I've seen a lot of chip shots come up very short, no one really hitting them firm enough. Very difficult rough to chip out of. It's coming out very soft and then with the soft greens you don't get that roll out like you're expecting. So, but it's held up incredibly well with the greens being really soft early in the week and the rain, I think they're holding up well. It's going to identify a great champion. I think you can just have a quick look down the first page of the leaderboard and look who is there, it's great players and players in the best form this year. A lot of them.

THE MODERATOR: All right, Adam Scott, 10-under par, second place. Enjoy your evening, sir.

ADAM SCOTT: Thank you.

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