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THE NORTHERN TRUST

August 7, 2019

Adam Scott

Jersey City, New Jersey

MARK WILLIAMS: We'd like to welcome Adam Scott into the interview room here at THE NORTHERN TRUST.

You're a past champion of this tournament and you've had I think five Top-10s in this event and you have a lot of experience here at Liberty National in The Presidents Cup.

Your thoughts about coming back for this first FedExCup Playoffs events?

ADAM SCOTT: It's fun to be in the playoff time of year. It's going to be an exciting three weeks, I'm sure, but coming back to Liberty National is always fun. It's quite a setting to play golf with the Manhattan skyline in the backdrop. It's been spectacular every time we've been here, no doubt. The course has come a long way since we've first came here, a lot of changes have been made and must give the club a lot of credit for that and keeping it well up to standard for the rate at PGA TOUR is moving with distance and depth of field and providing us with a challenging layout.

Again, it's in great shape. I'd love to create some magic that kind of happened in 2013. I really teed off Sunday not thinking I'd have a chance but played a really solid round. One kind of fell my way, actually. If you hang around long enough, that happens, and that's kind of how I remember it. So it would be fun to be in the mix again this week.

MARK WILLIAMS: You're in a pretty unique situation where you've won this event and also at TPC Boston, the previous Playoff event, which is no longer, but this event is going to rotate between those two. Your thoughts on being able to go back to Boston and playing this tournament at that site again?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, look, I think actually three events for the Playoffs is better than four. I think it dragged out a bit too long. I think it will be interesting to see how this three-week stretch goes.

I see it being a positive overall for the FedExCup. With that, you drop an event, but rotating the event between these two major cities that have been great supporting cities of the game of golf and great sports fans is a nice thought that we're going to go back and forth and be able to play in front of both crowds in the coming years.

Q. Just to stretch your memory to 2013, the vision of you warming up on the range expecting a playoff is funny, because you're surprised more than maybe you ever have been. Were you genuinely like, wow, you've just won this thing and don't have to play anymore golf?
ADAM SCOTT: Absolutely. You've never -- well, it's not over until it's over. I think Tiger had a chip. I seem to remember watching him chip from somewhere behind the green to go into a playoff, and Justin had to two-putt. It was likely -- well, likely both could happen, but certainly for Justin to two-putt. Looked like he kind of gave his first putt a run to win the thing and then he missed it coming back, is what I remember.

It is, it's like I said, I think sometimes if you hang around long enough, you get kind of a gift like that. And I also feel like I've given a couple of gifts, as well.

Probably, hopefully, it all evens out in that respect over your career. But it is surprising when that happens. But still, a win nonetheless, you're very happy.

Q. And can I just ask how your meeting with Ernie and the guys went yesterday and anything you can enlighten us on with early planning, etc.?
ADAM SCOTT: Not really. I mean, I think Ernie is just trying to show his commitment as the captain and it's getting close to the end of the qualification. I think he just wants to show everybody his commitment to the event is continuing on and trying to make sure that everyone's in a good place for the next two weeks, and obviously for the guys who aren't in that top eight, they know he's watching them maybe over the next few months.

Q. You were a bit vocal, I heard. You're obviously taking that leadership role again?
ADAM SCOTT: I don't know. He asked if anyone wanted to say anything, so I thought, I will then. Maybe he'll not ask in the future (laughing).

Q. Do you expect to have Tiger be a playing captain in The Presidents Cup? Do you expect to have to face him as a player and a strategist?
ADAM SCOTT: I do, yeah. With the new format, he's required to play a minimum of two matches. Certainly think he is a strength to their team.

Look, let's face it, he is. He's the Masters Champion this year. I think he could be very useful for them. But the U.S. are also in a fortunate position. There's a lot of strength down the line. I really don't know what their strategy.

Q. It seems as if part of the reason for the schedule change was to accommodate this FedExCup Playoffs as it gets bigger and better. How challenging was it for you to be in peak performance for the majors when they were coming so fast and furious, and then to turn around and be in peak performance these next three weeks?
ADAM SCOTT: I think it was -- I don't think it was that big of a deal as far as the majors go. The only difference was there wasn't that nine-week gap between the Masters and the U.S. Open, and if -- if you considered THE PLAYERS important, then it sat right in the middle, too. So it's exactly the same.

I feel like peaking for the majors -- although I don't know if you're talking to the right guy. I mean, it depends who you ask -- wasn't that difficult to get in shape.

It's always tougher at the end. Season because you've played more golf and now you're expected to perform at a high level for three weeks off the back of the majors, but also World events and THE PLAYERS, taking it back to March; a World event the week after a major. It's a pretty hectic summer.

In saying that, I've only played six rounds of golf since the U.S. Open, so I'm fresh and ready to go for the Playoffs. So hopefully that works to my advantage.

Q. You've been close a number of times this season. What's the mentality, knowing that you're close to getting back to winning ways and kind of how do you balance that with maybe hoping the luck goes your way a couple times?
ADAM SCOTT: I think I just have to keep my head down and keep pushing and not think about, you're close, not get frustrated that you're close and haven't won. I'm at that point where the head's got to stay down. I've got to keep going and doing everything I've been doing. It's moving in the right direction, and the cards are going to fall my way, hopefully this week, or next week, or the week after, and I can leave the season very satisfied.

To win out here is not easy. I feel like I pick a pretty tough schedule that I play. I play generally the biggest tournaments, and that's not to take away anything from any other tournament, but bigger-field events, and I play less, also, so I'm not giving myself the best chances all the time.

I would dearly love to win in the next three weeks, and obviously that does a lot of good for the FedExCup, but just that winning satisfaction would be great because I've definitely put myself in the position enough this year.

Q. You're one player on TOUR that has decided to keep the flagstick in most of the times when you putt. Where do you see the advantage in that?
ADAM SCOTT: It's probably more a psychological thing than just purely the advantage of it absorbing the speed of the ball. I see a lot of guys leaving it in on long putts because it's obvious that, you know, if you've hit it actually way too hard and it's not going to go in, it's going to finish closer by hitting the pin and could go in.

But I've had it in and out a little bit the second half of the season, but it gives me a reference point to aim at the center of the hole. You know, somehow that's gone into my mind as a positive thing, for me. So that's just the way I see it. I see if it's a straight putt, I know I have a yellow stick right there to aim at that's standing up out of the ground, not something on the flat. That seems to work well with my eyes and then the way I process that in my head. It's probably more a psychological thing for me.

Q. With all the rule changes that there have been, what do you make of the fact that a rule that's been in place for a long time, 40 seconds to hit a shot, just is not being enforced, leading to slow play?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's an interesting one, because I guess a lot of the changes they made were trying to help the slow play problem, but it obviously hasn't. Nothing has sped up by leaving the flag sticking in, for instance. I don't know if that was really aimed at us, that rule, or the social golfer back at the club.

Yeah, I think my last time I commented or thought about slow play is until television and sponsors aren't interested, then slow play is just part of the game. Until they draw a line in the sand and say that the dollars aren't coming in because of slow play, then it's just going to be the same. That's what I think.

Q. So it's almost like you get the feeling that nothing matters to them?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, in the big scheme of things, it doesn't matter. It doesn't affect what's happening out here. That's my overall end point.

There's a long discussion to have to get to that, but that was my kind of conclusion.

Q. We've come to view your swing as the gold standard. Your thoughts on Matthew Wolff, his swing, and just any thoughts on how it's maybe -- perceptions of the golf swing in general?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, yeah, I think it's great. I mean, there's nothing to criticize. Here is a 20-year-old kid who has come out and won on the PGA TOUR. He's obviously incredibly confident and he's honed his golf swing. He's owning it, and I think that's what you've got to do.

I mean, Sergio GarcÃa had a more unique swing when he turned pro than he probably does now, if you go back and watch some video. Tiger Woods' swing at 20 years old is very different than it is now, and he had it across the line. Not as much as Matt Wolff does, but you know, Furyk -- there's all kinds of different swings out here.

What is impressive is he's got it in a great spot at the bottom, and that's all that really matters at the end of the day. I like it. I like the kid. I like that he's come out and brought the confidence and got a result and I hope he keeps ongoing.

MARK WILLIAMS: Adam, we appreciate you coming in and good luck in the FedExCup Playoffs.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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