PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 18, 2021

Adam Scott

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, and welcome back to the 2021 PGA Championship here at the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. We're very pleased to be joined by 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott.

Adam, welcome back to what is your 21st PGA Championship. You've been here. You were here in '12 and actually played quite well. Maybe some of your recollections of that week, and how would you describe this golf course to someone who's never been here for the fans that are tuning in to the championship and are trying to bone up on what the challenge is this week?

ADAM SCOTT: I remember the week in '12 quite well. I had actually -- I was fresh kind of off a loss, or losing the Open Championship. I remember a strong feeling like I wanted to make up for my mistakes at Lytham and try and put it behind me quickly.

I was very determined here and focused on playing some of the best golf of my career around that time, so I remember it quite well. Friday was a very difficult day on the golf course, and I think I shot 75 and I was very pleased with that. That was probably better than average.

I just didn't really get the momentum going over the weekend, and obviously Rory did and kind of ran away with it, and he played at a different level than anyone else here that week. His driving was superb and obviously made a lot of putts.

For everyone else in the field that week, I think they saw what challenge Kiawah is. It was a brute of a test in '12, and it will be again this week.

I have to say the course is outstanding. The condition and the way it's presented is superb, really. I said earlier in the week, it may go down as the best set of greens we ever play on. We'll see how it holds up during the week, but they're rolling so tight, and even with the wind blowing, the balls are not moving around too much. It feels very good.

I think for the guys who get their eye in this week, there's opportunity for good scores, but for the guys who struggle, which is always the way at majors, there are probably going to be big scores on the board.

Q. Can you just talk about more what Rory did here? Do you almost compare it to 2000 and Tiger where they almost make the golf course look easier than it actually was?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it was kind of -- Rory was giving off that vibe at the time, if I think back. That was his second major win, and he'd won both majors by eight, I think, if -- that sounds pretty Tigeresque to me. That was the early Tiger kind of moves.

He did; I mean, it looked free flow and he was driving it much longer than most others that week, and straight, and rolling putts in. When talented guys like a Tiger or a Rory start doing that, it does make the game look easy, even on a really tough course.

Q. You mentioned your 75 on Friday. Can you talk about how difficult the conditions were?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it was just blowing so hard. Even though the course was still fairly soft, it was just so difficult to gauge anything. In no wind there's enough challenge around this golf course. The consequence of a miss -- I mean, there's plenty of room, it's very fair, but the consequence of a miss is huge around here, especially when you get into these outer sandy areas where the lies are very unpredictable, and just getting it back in play is actually -- sometimes you can't even manage to do that. Not just through it being kind of like unkept roughs.

Q. We heard some guys this morning talking about how long the closing holes were playing, 14 through 18, having to hit long irons in, and 16, not being able to reach it. Do you think that's a problem, or is that the way golf should be?

ADAM SCOTT: It's a problem for us out there playing for sure. If the wind blows this way for the rest of the week, it's going to be a battle to just get in the clubhouse.

One that comes to mind of just surviving was when Geoff Ogilvy won the U.S. Open. He was the only guy to play the last four holes in par that day, I believe, and it could be something similar for anybody kind of near the lead.

These holes are very, very difficult into this wind. Not just on Sunday, but I think every day the big challenge for the players is it's a little bit like a St. Andrews here where you go in one direction for so long and then maybe 11 holes you'll play in the same wind direction pretty much, and then you turn around on 14 and play the exact opposite for five holes.

That adjustment I think is quite difficult to make.

For me I'm trying my best to prepare myself on how I approach that mentally so I produce some good shots coming in.

Q. Is this the rare golf course that challenges you with distance, or is it just the wind that makes those holes so long?

ADAM SCOTT: It's the wind really. You know, I think it's very fair. There's plenty of room to drive the golf ball for the distances, the holes. It's not 510-yard par-4s with 15-yard wide fairways. There's plenty of room to play, and the greens, it's all very fair. There's nothing crazy going on.

It is a long course, but the wind -- when you stand on 16 and it's 608, it's playing like 750, and it's probably numbers that we'll never hopefully see on golf courses. But that's what it's playing like.

Q. Given the forecast wind, can you see yourself getting around in under five hours in the afternoon, or do you think it might be a pretty long day?

ADAM SCOTT: I think that's wishful thinking, yeah.

I will say I think, as tricky as it's going to be and even just hitting greens into the wind it's going to be difficult. The surface of the greens is so good, the shots are playable. Of course there are going to be some struggles, but I think you're going to see some fantastic short game stuff out there, as well, because the greens are in a nice spot where they're not bone dry and they're receiving a well-struck shot, and the areas around the greens are prepared so nicely that you have options.

You can play the lofted shot. You can play it along the ground. I think hopefully -- well, for myself I'd like to see some creativity and a nice short game this week because no doubt around the greens when it's windy is going to be key.

Q. How are you handling the logistics and mental preparation of playing four majors in four consecutive months?

ADAM SCOTT: I think we're getting used to it now. It is an interesting schedule. It's slightly condensed from where we were.

I think it was more about getting your mind into the four months; what are you going to do for the whole four months, and that's a long period of time to think you're going to peak for.

You just kind of need to get on a roll and get yourself ready come the Masters and then kind of manage your energy output so that each month you're ready to go and put in. I've always been a big advocate of preparing properly for majors, which is kind of a two-week process before the tournament, so it doesn't leave me a lot of time to play other events and things in between.

I obviously haven't got it dialed in because I haven't won one since we've gone to this schedule, but I look at it as a huge opportunity, and I think seeing what Brooks has done from the schedule of winning a couple, really quick succession, or four in quick time, is what's possible if you can get on a roll.

Q. I was hoping you could talk about one hole in particular, the 17th. How difficult is it and how challenging is it, and what clubs have you hit into that hole?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I mean, 17 is the ultimate test of nerve really. It doesn't matter when you're playing it. If it's three weeks ago or this Sunday coming down the stretch, it's a long par-3 over water.

I don't know how holes get more difficult than that, and now at the moment it's straight into the wind, and I've been hitting 4-irons and 7-woods and briefly discussed hitting a soft 3-wood in to see how that feels.

I think if it is into the wind you're going to see guys wearing out the left side, whatever is up there. There are some bunkers and then I think we could see guys going even further left. It's not great, but it's a lot better than the water. It could be a decider for the whole event this week.

Q. I'm just curious, how easy is it for your tempo to get disrupted in high wind conditions like this, and what do you do to try to prevent that from happening?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it is -- it's very easily put off rhythm. Some experience comes into play.

Like I said, you have to make adjustments on the fly out there and that's not easy to do, and I think that's where experience helps.

But when you're going one direction for two and a half or three hours and then you turn around and your last hour and a half is the exact opposite of what you've been doing, that's a big adjustment to make when you don't get a couple shots on the side to get ready for that. The next shot counts, and it's a 240-yard par-3.

Really spending as little time in the wind practicing. Although you do need to do a little bit of it, I'm not hitting a lot of balls on the range. I don't want to stand there and spend an hour leaning on my left side trying to keep the ball under the wind because it's not the only shot I've got to hit this week.

Trying not to get like stuck on one thing, and obvious things like trying to swing easy when breezy and all that kind of cliche stuff.

It does count for something. I just don't want to get trapped and not be free. You want to stay free, and I think if you think of great rhythmical swingers, they've played nicely in the wind, they've controlled their flight, and it's going to be a big advantage if you can do it out here. You hit a few extra greens this week, little stress-free pars look good with the wind blowing like this right now.

Q. This is a little off topic and I know you've been asked about the super league or PGL, whatever it's called right now, but has your opinion changed as it's gotten back into the news as far as would it be something you were interested in?

ADAM SCOTT: Well, yeah, I mean, generally as an international player I'm interested in the game being strong on a global basis. I'm interested in that.

I'm not really up to speed with where everything is at at the moment. I think now with where it's at, it's been floating around in the public kind of domain for the last 12 months or so on and off, and these things all just sort themselves out now.

All the big players in the game seem to be involved, so that's where it's at. It'll get sorted out amongst the people who make all the decisions.

Q. Just your thoughts on using the range finder this week. Will you use it a lot or maybe when you're uncertain? And as a Masters champion can you see Augusta National letting you guys use a range finder during the course of the tournament?

ADAM SCOTT: I really haven't thought about it. I don't intend on using it. I'd be surprised if John uses the range finder. But we'll see. I really don't know what guys are going to do this week.

I think if the book says one thing and the range finder says another thing, which one should you go with. I think you've got to go with one or the other, and unless John has changed all his routines in the last couple weeks to use the range finder, I think we'll be out of the book.

I don't know. You know, I really -- it's all speculation. If it's successful here, then maybe that's the way pro golf will go, and then one day the Masters might. But I'm not sure.

Q. Do you class yourself as a traditionalist or not?

ADAM SCOTT: I think I love all the elements of golf, whether that's traditional and whatever is coming. I'm passionate about the game, and I admire pioneers and I admire the fact the PGA is trying something a little different for pro golf this week.

Q. With those last 14 through 18 seemingly going to be into the wind, at least for the first couple rounds, are you looking forward to getting them out of the way by starting on 10 the first round or kind of finishing up with them in the second round? Which one do you think is going to be more advantageous for you? Or not at all?

ADAM SCOTT: It sounded good getting it out of the way in the first round, but realizing I have to actually play them then on Friday afternoon took the gloss off that thought. Just a tough set of holes.

I think at any major championship there's always going to be the question asked of you, and the guys who contend and ultimately the winner, he's going to have to step up and hit the shots. I think it's a good opportunity.

If you can manage yourself on those five holes, there's a good opportunity to make up a lot of ground or separate yourself playing them in just a nice score. If you offered me even par on these holes for the rest of the week, I think everyone would line up and take it.

Q. Curious what a veteran player like you who was here in '12 can take with him and nine years later show up in the same spot? Does that familiarity help, or is that a lot of conjecture that people in this interview room ask about? Do you remember things? Do you remember greens? Do you remember fairways? What do you remember nine years later?

ADAM SCOTT: It's not really the sort of course that there are hidden secrets that I gained out of '12, but I just think when you talk about this kind of time period and veteran -- I mean, the experience of just playing so many tough events and just having a good understanding of the patience that's required, knowing ahead of time the test that you're going to face, I know there's going to be situations this week that are not ideal for me, and I'm just going to have to do my best to get out of it and turn it around.

I think they're the kind of things that -- of course I played four rounds here nine years ago, and I played quite nicely. That's a nice memory for me. But I'd like -- I think just the accumulation of the experience when the conditions get tough. I remember watching guys who I thought were a bit old 15 years ago and stuff and just how calmly they played in these tough conditions and just managed to hold it together and not shoot a bad score and not shoot themselves out of the tournament.

And I think that's a big thing that I look at when I stand here and just look at the flags blowing and know how difficult it is out there, that I've got the experience to kind of hold it all together when it gets tough out there.

Q. In connection with that, and I think it's interesting the memories are more like mental memories, it's the feelings of playing in those difficult conditions. And then how do you prepare yourself for this week? What do you think you're going to be feeling this week, and how do you block it and calm yourself down?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I feel -- when I left the Masters, I kind of reassessed where everything was at, and I said I wasn't going to play another tournament until I was fully prepared to play. I was not happy with my first couple of months of the year. I was just like spinning the wheels. I felt like I wasn't getting better.

I want to now get better as the rest of the season goes, so I feel very prepared for this week. I have memories of playing this hard course and many other hard courses in majors, and I think drawing on that experience is a calming thing.

I feel like I've prepared as best I can away from this week, and I've played four practice rounds already. I didn't play today. I feel like I know the course well enough now. Find a little feel tomorrow, hit a few balls and play nine holes, and I feel like I'm in that calm place to deal with whatever happens out there.

If I go out and birdie the first three, I know it's my day and I can calmly keep going in that way; and if I go out and I'm 4-over through nine and it feels like the wheels are going to fall off, I know I have time to get things under control, and that's kind of how I operate.

THE MODERATOR: Adam, thanks for the time. Have a terrific week.