	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NORTHERN TRUST OPEN

February 12, 2008

Adam Scott

PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Adam, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center at the Northern Trust Open. Great start to your year with that 61 and that victory. You didn't play the last two weeks, back here on the PGA TOUR for the first time, just talk about coming back out here and getting started and actually starting out with a great start with the beginning of the season.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it got off to a bit of a flying start I guess. You know, the little bit of work that I did over the holidays seemed to pay off there in the weekend in Qatar, everything was going right. I've had a couple weeks off to kind of get ready and start my year in the U.S., so, you know, I'm really excited to be back here at Riviera.
Obviously have played well here in the past. It's nice to see the weather looking so good and the course in such good shape, so I'm ready for a big week.

Q. Do you notice any difference in the course conditions with things being a little bit drier; are the greens rolling a little faster?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I definitely think the greens are rolling a little faster, the fairways will firm up and definitely running out a little bit more. The rough's down a little bit I think this year. With the greens being in such nice condition and the rough down, I'm pretty sure we're going to have some low scores here this week.

Q. What did you work on during the holiday?
ADAM SCOTT: A little bit of work on my setup. Just some posture stuff, and then the same with my putting, actually. Just got a little lazy in my posture, so tried to get that back on track and kind of freed myself up a bit and things were feeling pretty good.

Q. I know 61s don't happen often. Can you just describe the sensation of going that low and everything that was going right for you during that round?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, when I've thought about it a couple times and talked to people about it, I think right on the first green, I had about a 20-foot birdie putt and went right in the middle, it was a good speed and good line. That kind of set me up. I mean, the rhythm was right there with the putter, and obviously birdieing the first five holes, I was making everything I looked at and I kind of continued on the way around.
So some good ball-striking, but really the putter was hot for the day.

Q. Rumour has it you're going to be playing a little more on The European Tour this year, can you talk about your schedule and how you're going to work that out to play here and there and what caused that decision to play a little moreover there?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, the last two years, I've missed getting my minimum number of tournaments in Europe by one each year, and this year I just decided to commit to getting my numbers up and going for the Order of Merit again. Simply because I played in the Middle East, it's going to be easier for me to do that. It's not necessarily a lot more play in Europe, but it's just a matter of me keeping my membership over there.
You know, it's pretty similar to what I've done in the past. In '04 and 05, I played full seasons in Europe and the U.S. So just a couple extra tournaments in the Middle East.

Q. If there's a single quality that is most successful at this course, what would it be, quality of play?
ADAM SCOTT: This is a ball-striking golf course for sure. I guess we'd call it kind of an old school course, tree-lined and forces you to shape shots off tees and into the greens. The greens are quite small. Small, firm greens need well-struck irons into them. So I think ball-striking is pretty key around here.

Q. Outside of the fact that you won, do you know much of the history of this course, that it's been around since the 20s and Hogan and that stuff, or does it seep down to Australia, or do guys around here talk about it?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think since I've been coming here, I've learned a lot about it. Obviously you can walk through the clubhouse and look at all the photographs on the wall and the history and the players and the events that have been here. Yeah, it's a classic golf club.
You know, certainly to have won here, unofficially albeit, but you know, it's a special place, and something that I certainly will treasure having been a champion here.

Q. Golfers I think more than athletes in a lot of sports do pay a lot of attention to history. Even somebody relatively young as you would know the Hogans and Sneads and guys like that. When you were growing up what, did you hear about them?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, absolutely, I think that's one of the great aspects of our game is all golfers are taught to respect the history of the game, and I think that's just respect for the game itself. That's certainly a big part of golf.
So the game has a great history, it's been around a long time and there have been great champions in the past and great people, and they have kind of paved the way for everyone out here now.
So, you know, they deserve the respect of the young players, that's for sure.

Q. Did you get a little bit, maybe yourself and Charles, do you feel like you get more out of winning a tournament like this? Is the confidence greater? Especially having won here so young, do you get anything different out of winning a tournament like this here?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think so. To win on this style of golf course I think is definitely a challenge. Generally they are more demanding than a resort golf course maybe.
Yeah, I think there's a certain way to play them. I think patience is really important around these kind of golf courses.

Q. You even just alluded to it yourself; you're saying you won here, but unofficially; do you ever get chided about that or do people joke about that, not having your name officially --
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I have the trophy -- (laughter) -- that says I won the tournament, but it is what it is. I get another chance to win it this year officially.

Q. It looks like we'll have a good week, we had a good week last week at Pebble and you won obviously in the horrible rain and Monday finish. Did you pay attention to what happened last week or did you watch it at all?
ADAM SCOTT: I didn't see any of the golf last week over the weekend at all. I don't even know what happened up there actually.

Q. I assume playing in weather like this is a lot more pleasant?
ADAM SCOTT: Absolutely. It's had a great effect on the course already, and for us to go out there and play in this kind of weather here is certainly a treat. Normally we're trudging around, lift, clean and place, and it's nice to we get to come out here and play the course properly.

Q. How well do you know Jason Day, and what do you think about him and do you feel old compared to him?
ADAM SCOTT: Do I feel old? Yeah, sure I do. (Laughter).
Jason I know a little bit, and we played a little bit a couple years ago. Obviously I think Jason and Rory McIlroy are the two brightest up-and-comers in world golf at the moment.
I think they are both phenomenal players. I played with Rory in Qatar the other week for the first time and he impressed me, and Jason impresses me a lot. He seems to have no weaknesses and he's really confident, believes in himself, and I think he's going to go a long way.
This is an important year for him, though, just to get himself stead he'd out here, and not saying that he can't come out and win tournaments, because he certainly has the ability, but a good, solid year out here would be great for Jason. Sky's the limit for him.

Q. Has Jason come to you at all and asked you about how you handled your first couple of years out on Tour?
ADAM SCOTT: I haven't caught up with him. You know, he was injured at the end of last year, so I didn't see him in Australia. This is my first week back over here, so hopefully I'll catch up with him this week and see how it's going --

Q. He's not here.
ADAM SCOTT: So I won't catch up with him this week. (Laughter) Somewhere I'll catch up with him.

Q. Have you looked to see who you're going to be playing next week at the Match Play?
ADAM SCOTT: I don't know.

Q. Speaking of 61, a pro in Orange County told me that you once shot a 61 in a junior event at Los Coyotes country number in Buena Park, do you remember how old you were?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it was U.S. Junior qualifying, and I think I was 16. I shot that around there in the second round to qualify for the U.S. Junior, which was in Aronimink in Pennsylvania that year.
JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thanks.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297