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THE PRESIDENTS CUP

December 11, 2019

Adam Scott

Melbourne, Australia

Q. Looking forward to this week?
ADAM SCOTT: Absolutely. This is a great opportunity for us. It really is. If we ever feel like we have a slightly higher level of comfort with a golf course, it's here. Ernie, the assistants and the guys who have played here have really settled our first timers to Royal Melbourne nicely. I'm very optimistic. I've had a good feeling for the last couple months about the way our team shaped up. I feel a very, very strong energy, which certainly over some of the past Cups we've been lacking. It's not a lot of fun getting beaten all the time.

This is a great opportunity for us, and certainly for me. Ernie has done a lot of the prep work for us and kind of laid the foundations. Hopefully we can get it all happening this week, but I like the way it's going.

Q. The team as a whole --
ADAM SCOTT: Certainly a fair bit younger, but I think that's really going to work in our favor. It's a bit of a changing time for the International Team. I think we're seeing nine countries represented, very, very diverse. It just shows you how global it's all getting.

But getting rid of old guys like me and bringing in some guys who are fresh is really important. That's going to be a big thing for me this week is feeding off these guys who are so excited to be here, their first one, they can't wait. They have been watching their entire life, aspiring to make a team. It's very refreshing for a guy like me and it's kind of had me pull my head in and get my stuff together the last few days.

There's certainly challenges but again I have to give a lot of credit to Ernie. He's done a lot of things behind the scenes, including creating a new logo or emblem for our team to play under, something for us to get behind. It's early days but it's something that can grow for the future. There's a long-term approach to it, as well, which I like. We see each other a lot out there. Most of us are playing on the PGA TOUR, anyway. There's been a really conscious effort for the guys to spend a little more time. It's tough because we have our own schedules throughout the year.

There has been a conscious effort from everyone and a little bit of needling from everyone any to make sure we do play a little more together and spend more time together. I think the level of comfort is very good inside our team room.

Q. How long has that been going on for?
ADAM SCOTT: Pretty much this entire season, yeah. Every week there was suggested practice rounds. He'd see who is playing the tournament and he'd try and get guys together. You know, that was helpful because he's been very proactive with the whole thing. For me, it shows how much it really means to him to be leading us this week.

Q. When you look at the teams on paper --
ADAM SCOTT: Can be. I heard something -- I heard something good, like the names are on the paper, but we play on the grass. It's a different thing. If we can hang with them for a long time this week, I think there's a lot of pressure that goes back to them to finish this off. They are expected to.

But I'm pretty confidence that we can hang with them this week. I'm very motivated, that's for sure.

Q. Does your confidence --
ADAM SCOTT: My confidence? Look, I really like the way they have adapted. I mean, it's quite extreme conditions on the golf course. I like what I've seen. There are a couple guys who I really feel are made for this kind of event on our team. Abraham Ancer, I'll be shocked if he's not a big point winner for us this week. He's fantastic.

There's a little bit more young energy, a little wet behind the ears, good vibe coming my way, anyway. That's what I'm working off this week.

Q. Do you believe that you've done enough to get the Aussies on the International Team against the Americans?
ADAM SCOTT: I think the message has been out there, and obviously it was part of our plan to do that. It's nice to feel like we have a home crowd advantage.

You know, the best thing, we must do our job now and start winning some holes, and then we deserve those cheers.

Q. How have you developed camaraderie with the language barriers?
ADAM SCOTT: My language skills are very limited, but the other guys English is not as bad as they make out to you guys (laughing).

Q. What would it mean to win?
ADAM SCOTT: Look, I think it would probably mean a lot more to me than I've ever thought. The last few years, I've put more of myself out there for the team, and so far it hasn't yielded much of a result. It's never fun leaving on Sunday with not having won the trophy, but I've enjoyed -- I haven't had to contribute much. Ernie has taken a lot on, and I really agree with the way he's gone about it.

You know, I think it would rank very highly for me at this point. Like I said at the start of this, this is a real opportunity for us and it will be possibly a team that is remembered after such a long stretch. I'm really keen to kind of take that chance this week.

We need a victory, absolutely. It's as simple as that, yeah. There's nothing fun for me to talk about; all my appearances, we've come up short. I think for a long time, we didn't have the answers and I think this time, I think we've checked a lot of the right boxes coming in, and that's why I'm also very optimistic, not just about some of the guys who have qualified, and I like what I see in the way they are approaching it, but I like the way Ernie has prepared himself for this team to play well this week.

He told us his plan early on, and he's going 100 percent in on that, and I love that. I can get behind someone who is 100 percent in on something. If it doesn't work out, I admire the fact he's gone all in, and I don't think we've ever done that before.

Q. What's he like --
ADAM SCOTT: He's very calm at the moment -- it is, quite shocking for me, and I like that. That's giving me confidence, too.

Q. You've seen his intensity --
ADAM SCOTT: I've witnessed it on the golf course a few times, absolutely. You can't doubt the competitor that's Ernie. Just look at his record. You can't win 50-plus tournaments and not be a fierce competitor.

I have a quick story. My fourth pro event, I played with Ernie Sunday at Loch Lomond, a guy I've idolized and we're playing quite late on Saturday. He got off to a horrible start and he tore his caddie apart on the seventh green. I couldn't believe it. The Big Easy was just irate. I thought to myself, well, this is no behavior that will lead to anything good. You know, every psychologist I've seen has said, "Don't lose your temper." I was absolutely shocked, and I said to myself, well, he's got no chance, and then he turned around and played a great 27 holes and won the tournament the next day. I didn't learn much from my psychologist.

ADAM SCOTT: Probably not, but no one of this generation has gotten the credit they probably deserve because Tiger has been Tiger. It's the same as Phil and Ernie, I think they have played second fiddle because Tiger has got the great record he has and he beat them quite often, too. I think Ernie is maybe using that as some motivation this week, too.

Q. Do you think the fans will be confused, they idolize Tiger, but they want the Internationals to win. Where do you think it will fit with the locals and the crowd?
ADAM SCOTT: Look, I just hope everyone -- I want everyone to have a great time out there. If the Internationals can get out there and win some holes and get in front, I want to feel that energy from them, that's all I ask. But I want everyone to have a great time. It's fantastic to have this event down here and the Americans playing. It's going to be a great week, so everyone enjoy it. Hopefully we can do our bit and get them loud for the Internationals.

But also, we have quite a lot of new faces in the team and a couple of the guys who are playing their second or third Cup, they don't have like natural pairings or whatever you want to call that. I wasn't really sure how it was all going to play out, anyway. There's no one that I thought, well, we'll just absolutely play these guys and now they are split up because of analytics.

Like I said, I really got my head into just embracing this process early on and go with it. I like the way it's shaping up. The guys, Ernie has delivered it in a way to give everyone the confidence, which is smart.

I want them to play their game. They are here because they are great players. They just need to remember that and play their game. There's lots of advice flying around, left and right every, where but ultimately now, I think they are comfortable with the golf course. A couple of rules from the captains on how to play the course and if they do that, just play their game I believe that's how we'll get the most out of the young prayer and we need that to happen. Definitely don't want to put them in a position where they feel restricted or unfortunately because I'm telling them how to do this and how to do that. They are great anyway would you tell me telling them that.

Q. (Off mic)
ADAM SCOTT: I think he's going to be a silent assassin. There's a lot more fire in these guys' bellies that we see week-in and week-out and maybe an event like this brings it out in them. All these guys can sneak up and surprise a few people.

I'm looking forward now; it was a conscious decision once Ernie took the role, we're moving forward. The past is the past. We're doing things a bit differently, and that's enjoyable for me because like we said earlier, it's been a frustrating run in this for the Internationals.

Q. Have you thought what it would mean if you reversed the result?
ADAM SCOTT: It's hard to say. I think it would probably, with the emotion of winning it, you could get me to say how it's going to be very important in my career. I see this event carrying on into the future, and it will be incredibly disappointing if I played all these and never won a Presidents Cup. I feel I'd be missing something.

Q. What has it provided you?
ADAM SCOTT: It's provided me with incredible opportunities personally. Other than getting to spend time with some of my heros or legends of the game -- you know, Gary Player was a captain three times when I was a young kid, really. But some of the pressure situations that you're instantly put in in this format has held me in really good stead for just my career.

Sometimes it's hard work to work your way into contention in a big tournament. You know, you might not have it -- I struggled to do that a lot early in my career. But you're all-square playing the last on one of these matches and the whole team is standing there; the pressure is immense, and you might not even be playing that good but you've got to hit that shot.

I think you find out a lot about yourself in these matches, and I've enjoyed that challenge of it.

Q. What's the most memorable?
ADAM SCOTT: South Africa as was fantastic, winning my first-ever match with Ernie. We won the last three holes to win 1-up.

Here at Royal Melbourne, me and K.J. beat Tiger and Stricker 7&6. That was an incredible match where K.J. and I just fell into place that day.

Q. What are you looking for tomorrow?
ADAM SCOTT: A good start. That's all we're looking for tomorrow. It's my big focus tomorrow. Whoever is out there, it's the most important match of the week for them. We have to get off to a good start. As long as we can hang with them. Tomorrow is not super-important, but our team doesn't need to be chasing its tail out here. We don't need to be mounting a huge comeback.

I certainly have spent the last four or five weeks since I played in China thinking about how I'm going to be ready to play on Thursday. I think it's very important for us.

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