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EDS BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

April 26, 2008

Adam Scott

IRVING, TEXAS

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Adam Scott, thanks for joining us after your third consecutive round in the 60s here at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Three-stroke lead heading into the final round. Won't get any easier. I'm sure you've got a tough day ahead of you tomorrow, but maybe some opening comments on three good days for you so far.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it was a bit of a slow start, I guess, for me. I never really got going on the front and let everyone catch up. But I knew a solid nine holes would do me good, and starting off with a birdie at 10, I believe, set me up for a good back nine.
You know, I hung in there, and the way the course is playing, it's about patience. It's hard to attack. Pins were tucked away, it seemed, a lot, and just unable to get enough response on the greens to get them close to those tucked-away pins, so you had to kind of wait it out until it was a good yardage for you and you had a perfect opportunity.
So for me, 16 and 18 were key way to finish the day, a couple really nice wedge shots set me up for a couple birdies. It makes for a little bit of momentum going into tomorrow.

Q. When you deal with a golf course that's got basically brand new greens or any new golf course you go to, how many rounds do you need to play before you feel comfortable?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, I've said all week, the course plays very similar as it did last year. It's the greens that you've got to get comfortable on.

Q. Right, I'm talking about the greens.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's taken a few rounds. They're a little bit slower than we're used to on TOUR, and I think for me it seems that it's harder to get a nice rhythm in your stroke when they're running a little slow. You've got to hit them so hard, especially the short putts. But I think everyone is kind of getting used to them now.

Q. So you think the short ones are harder than the 40- and 50-footers?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, they're tough, too, especially with the swales and slopes out there, going up and over. They're hard to judge the speed. It seems like a lot of them haven't been running out downhill, and then my putt on 17 flies by the hole running down the hill. So it's tricky out there.
You know, I think they're just new greens. That's just how new greens are. It was like that at Sawgrass last year.

Q. When you fell behind at the turn, were you starting to get a little impatient?
ADAM SCOTT: Impatient, no. No one was doing -- I know Sergio had a good round, I saw that, but no one was running away with it. I mean, I think from what I saw, no one was going to run away with it. And if someone did, then they were playing an incredible round of golf, because I just didn't think the golf course, you were able to shoot a really low round.

Q. So you were thinking just plod along and you'll still be there at the end of the day?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I felt like if I played a decent back nine, I'd be right around the place. 3-under was really solid, and it all turned around in the last few holes where I thought I might be tied for the lead, and now I'm out in front. It can change quick out there.

Q. Did you feel like the pins were in more scorable positions today?
ADAM SCOTT: Definitely not. I thought they tucked them away pretty well. The 2nd hole was tucked. It's a 4-iron, so there wasn't a lot of chance of getting in that little area of the green. The 4th hole was similar.

Q. Just not a lot of places to attack, you kind of just have to wait and wait?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, because the first bounce is so hard. They put it four yards over a bunker and there's only six yards behind the pin. You don't have much room to play with a big bounce, so you need a perfect yardage where you can get the right amount of spin on the ball to get one close.

Q. Momentum-wise, Adam, did the birdie at 10 kind of get things going, or more so 16?
ADAM SCOTT: I think 16 was important because I haven't played the par-5s that well. I haven't taken advantage of them. I seemed to have been in position but messed them up a little bit, and there are only two of them. 16 was important, especially after I had to lay up Thursday.

Q. You had the mindset of patience on this course. Is it easier, do you think, to protect a lead on this course rather than having to attack?
ADAM SCOTT: Maybe, but you don't want to get defensive in protecting a lead. Maybe it is, but I think there are so many guys grouped in so close there that if it was just one or two, it would be easier to protect the lead. But with a lot of guys within a few shots, I think one of them is going to come out and shoot a low round tomorrow, which is going to force me to have to put a good number up there.

Q. Bart Bryant was in here earlier, and he said that you're really a world-class player; you can go out and hide from the field. Is that kind of the mindset that you take into it when you look down the leaderboard? Is that the mindset that you take in, that you are the world-class player in contention and you've got a chance to really do something tomorrow?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, absolutely. My intention from the start of the week was I knew I was playing well. I came here to get in contention and win a golf tournament. I feel like I've been playing well this year and haven't quite done it, so I'm kind of pushing myself a little bit to do that.
You know, I feel like I'm a world-class player, but there are a host of world-class players sitting just behind me. Sergio has won here before; I'm sure he's feeling good. Bart has won big events; he's proved himself. I'm not expecting those guys to lie down for me.

Q. You made a birdie on 10 and then you waited about 20 minutes on 11 and you saw a couple guys put it in the water protecting a lead. Can you talk about your mindset about going for it on 11?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, it was -- I mean, even if I pulled it, I would carry the water. It was playing short today, so the water wasn't a problem. But I was a little worried about how far over the green it might go, and it hopped up in the rough and that made my chip shot a little tough. But it was really -- the water was in play with my 3-wood, so I was taking -- I was just trying to hit it in the right greenside trap, and I missed it by a couple yards.
But yeah, when those -- it's not that much fun sitting around for 20 minutes while you're in the middle of a round. You want to keep the rhythm going.

Q. If Tiger was in your position, we'd all be writing our final round stories now. Do you feel like you can make a statement tomorrow that you can do this?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think I need to. Mike Ritz from The Golf Channel asked me before if I'm a good front-runner, and I won like the first ten tournaments of my career from the front. Houston last year I think was the first time I had ever won a tournament coming from behind. So I was a good front-runner. I was leading here a couple years ago and let it slip, and I've let a few slip like Memphis, so I think I've got something to prove tomorrow.

Q. Is this what you had in mind when you were at home in Australia? I mean, you're playing well; it's not the same being at home playing well; you'd rather be out here trying to win a trophy?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, there's no point taking some money off my mates at home (laughter). I don't need that; I'd rather be out here. This is good for me, but tomorrow is an important day. I'd like to play how I have the last couple days, just in a nice rhythm.

Q. After struggling with being ill, playing in the Masters, traveling a long distance and then making the announcement that you want to go play, did anyone close to you say, why don't you just rest and stay home? Did anyone whisper that to you?
ADAM SCOTT: No, I thought my trainer might, but he liked the idea of me coming back. Tony loved the idea of me coming back, Butch loved the idea of me coming back. Even my family said, yeah, go back. I'm like, hey, I haven't seen you guys for four months, but they were kicking me back over here. No, everyone thought it was a pretty good idea. They could see I was playing well. Sometimes you've just got to change the schedule up and go with what you feel.

Q. Is Tony talking Cadillac?
ADAM SCOTT: That was my main reason, secret reason, for coming (laughter).

Q. What are you going to drop on the schedule that you were playing?
ADAM SCOTT: I don't know. I'm just winging it at the moment, just play the next three and then see what happens.

Q. Maybe take next week off?
ADAM SCOTT: I don't think so. Definitely not.

Q. Can we go through your card?
ADAM SCOTT: No. 2 was a 4-iron and a three-putt from 50 feet.
No. 4, I hit a driver and a wedge to five feet, six feet.
No. 5, I hit a 9-iron to 30 feet on the fringe and I putted in.
No. 8 was a driver and a chip out, wedge up there on the fringe and a chip and a putt.
10 was a driver, 9-iron and a 12-footer.
16 was driver, sand iron, pitching wedge and a five-footer, six-footer.
18 was a driver, lob wedge from three feet.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you, Adam.

End of FastScripts

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