|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AMFebruary 10, 2010Adam ScottPEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA DOUG MILNE: Adam, thanks for joining us for a few minutes. Here we are at the 2010 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, you're making your first professional start here. Just a few comments on the decision to play and kind of a little assessment of your game right now. ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, well, it's nice to be here. First time. You know, my schedule, a little different start this year. I didn't play until L.A. last week, so I need to pick up some events and get going. This is a new date this year. I think it's a good date. It fits well for me to come to L.A. which is a place I like a lot, and then to get to come here, obviously to some more great golf courses, and then going to the Match Play. So a nice three weeks. Q. You know it not match play this week; right? ADAM SCOTT: I do know it's not match play. Q. How big was your win last we're, after all of the struggling and injuries, must have been huge? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, obviously any win is good, but that one was quite special. To win your National Open is a big deal. You know, the Australian Open has been one of the great tournaments in the world for a long time. It probably isn't considered that at the moment, or anymore, but to look at the names on that trophy is like looking at a Claret Jug or something. So it feels great to be on it, and to have finally won in Australia is good for me. Gets a lot of people off my back at home. But it was a great way to end a pretty frustrating year where I didn't get much out of it, but I played well in a string of events toward the end the year. So the form was good. Certainly turned it around and looking to just kind of pick up on that now. Q. Does that validate what you were trying to do at the end of the season, changing things regardless of -- or was it something in your head where you just won and take it from there and say, I got a victory which I really needed? ADAM SCOTT: Well, it's both. I mean, I had to do something. I had to do something to get myself into a position to win, you know, so I went away and worked hard on my game. You know, after a few good weeks, I played Singapore and then the Australian Masters and Dubai, and then I finished high in all of them, playing well. Confidence was coming back. And then continued to play well and got myself in a position to win. It was a good feeling for me to have again. You know, I had not had it for such a long time. The stuff I've been working on had been holding up. Although, the stuff I'm working on wasn't anything special. It was just trying to get back to swinging like me. It wasn't any different -- I got away from swinging like me somehow. Q. Is that because you listened to other people, or is it because it just evolved that way? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it just kind of evolved that way. You know, it just got away from me somehow. And for a while there, back last year, which we've all talked with you all about, I just kept playing, thinking it's close, it's close. I kept missing the cut, just, and one week it's going to turn around, but it never really did and it wasn't quite there; and after a while, the confidence went with it to make it even worse. So when you're struggling and low on confidence, that's a bad combination. It took some time for it to all come back around, the confidence included. But you know, to win the Australian Open, I mean, it almost feels like last year was a success when I look at the big picture. Q. Was there any banter with you and Geoff? ADAM SCOTT: No. He won actually the Australian PGA the year before. Yeah, we are all good. Q. Do you recall how far you got in '99? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I do. I lost in the first round to John Pate. Q. What does that say about Pebble, to not see a course for 11 years, and to get back here, to remember so much of it? ADAM SCOTT: No, you can't. I don't know because I've watched this golf course on television a lot, just because of what it is in U.S. Opens, but also in the AT&T. When I haven't been here, I've watched, and the holes are memorable. You know what is happening out there. Spectacular holes along the ocean. You know, that says a lot about the golf courses if you remember the holes. Q. Did you try to qualify in 2000? ADAM SCOTT: No, I didn't. But I was actually -- I turned pro the week following the U.S. Open in 2000. I played my first event in Europe the next week. Q. Have you been over to MPCC? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah. Q. Can you give us what your thoughts are? ADAM SCOTT: It's a fantastic golf course. I think with these three golf courses here, you have got three of the best on TOUR. And you know, it seems that Monterey is holding up the best under the weather conditions. I guess the sand-capped fairways, and it drains very well. It was very playable. So I think we are all going to enjoy playing that golf course. Q. Do you think the tournament could gain more popularity, with these three courses, could that influence players to come here? ADAM SCOTT: Absolutely, I think it will, no doubt. Everyone I've talked to likes the Shore Course. So that will get around. Certainly will attract people to come. I mean, that's a big part of a lot of guys' decision making on whether they play the tournament is if they like the golf course or courses. Q. In L.A., the weather was bad until Sunday, you won there, in the shortened, Monday, half a playoff with Chad Campbell; do you think every time you come there the weather is awful? What is your thinking there? ADAM SCOTT: Well, this is that time of year, isn't it. You know, it's to be expected, unfortunately. I don't know what to say about that. I think it will be great if we were here at a different time of year, if it could possibly happen. I think that would be a great move. I don't know how that happens. I don't really look into those things pretty much. I'm pretty happy to come here whenever. But, it would be great to play courses like Riviera and Pebble Beach and Spyglass and Monterey in conditions that are tournament-suitable for the level of tournament we are playing, because a lot of the great design work of these courses is taken out when it's so wet and the ball just plugs where it lands. A lot of the trouble is not trouble because the ball just plugs in the fairway instead of running through into the rough behind some of these trees, which leave quite tough shots. So it would be nice to play it in those conditions. Q. Do you think you can get around this week, a regular, proper tournament, U.S. Open -- ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, as far as the U.S. Open goes, we are only really getting two rounds at Pebble. You're not getting that much. Hopefully come June, it's not as soft as this, also, so yeah, it's really about just getting your eye adjusted to holes and getting familiar with holes and good lines off tees, those kind of things and some kind of -- getting familiar with the slope on the greens and just kind of implanting that in your memory just so you've got an idea for shots in or if a hole like 14, you've got a good visual of where the slope is; when you're hitting into a green, you can't really see much of the surface. That's about where you're getting out of it. Q. New South Wales --- can you compare Pebble to -- ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's scenic. It's hard to compare. They are both very pretty golf courses. Some similarities. I think they both have a lot of good holes. You know, and then there are some holes which are not as good, or how can it be as good, the holes on the ocean; they are just not, because they are not as pretty. Q. Can you give us a sense of how you feel comparatively coming into the season this year versus some other times? ADAM SCOTT: I'm feeling very good. It's 2010, it's the start of a new decade, and you know, I'm kind of seeing it as a fresh start for me in my career. You know, probably learned more in the last 12 months than I did in the first ten years of being a professional. I feel like I might have wised up a bit, and struggling a little bit last year will certainly help me in the long run. You know, got a few new things to try as far as preparation goes for golf tournaments, and you know, some of it's discipline and getting a little more focused in on exactly what I have to do to be one of the top players in the world again, and stay there. So I think everyone continues to get better. So it just keeps getting harder to be that player. Q. Following last year's struggles -- ADAM SCOTT: I think the challenge of keeping your chin up in some I was. I tried to stay fairly positive but there were some bad days. I tried to stay fairly positive through playing poorly and knew I would come out on the other side eventually, although some days it didn't feel like that. You know, as well as that, I learned a lot about what I need to do with my golf game for it to be world class. And some of that I learnt from what I wasn't doing last year and why I was playing bad and also I could relate some of it back to when I was playing good and what I was missing there and I feel like I could have been better. So I feel like if I can work my game and my confidence back up to that level to where I was maybe two or three years ago, which I was arguably playing my best, I think I can be better than that, again, just with some maturity and some experience, and knowing that, you know, it takes a little bit extra to get that little bit further. I was pretty lucky in my career that I kind of cruised along and got better each year for eight years. And then all of the sudden that ran out. You've got to keep working. Everyone works really hard, and can't take that for granted. Q. You used the phrase "cruised"; does that mean you, a, maybe put the effort in, and b, didn't know exactly -- inaudible. ADAM SCOTT: I think more B. If you look at how I was going, it was hard to say what I was not doing when results were so fairly consistent and getting better. Each year I felt I improved. You know, I kept winning tournaments, and you think, well, you know, it's going to happen; the big one is going to come along or you're going to win more tournaments. Then, you know, 2008, 2009, got a little off-track, and it didn't just keep improving. So why does this happen. Have to try and identify a few of those things of what that was, and then now I need to put that into place now. It wasn't for lack of effort. I still worked hard. But I think -- yeah, I think I can work a bit more productive. I think I wasn't working smart enough. Q. Golfers over the years, in this game, it just pops up and hits you, and you don't realize how hard it is when you have to overcome that; when you're playing well, it's just like everything goes well -- ADAM SCOTT: When you play well, you think you're never going to play bad; and when you're playing bad, you're never sure you're going to play well again. That's how it is. I think everyone in this game has eaten the old humble pie at some point. I was certainly getting stuck into that pie last year. But, it's to be expected. I mean, we have 20- or 30-year long careers. It's not going to go swimmingly that whole time. So I'm sure I'm going to have some struggles at some point again, but you know, I'd like to get back up on top again before I do, and hopefully when I do struggle, I'll manage it a little better next time. Q. Was there any one particular person or piece of advice that helped you last year? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, a lot of people told me: Adam, you're a good player, keep at it, you'll find it. But there wasn't just one thing. I had a lot of encouragement from a lot of people, not only just the people close to me, but you know, other players, media, everyone was very encouraging. You know, when I started playing well again, even players have come up to me and said, you know, it's good to see me playing well again, which is a nice thing amongst your peers, and I appreciate that a lot. You know, like I said, I don't take anything for granted. Just got to get back out there and would hard at it. But there wasn't really one thing that set me off. Q. Did you just say the media was encouraging? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah. You know, at certain times, I might have got some sympathy from the media. No, it was, I mean, I think -- Q. (Inaudible.) ADAM SCOTT: You've got it. You guys were good. I was trying not to be -- you guys were pretty fair on me last year I think, which was nice. Q. Did you ever -- as things go along, somebody has a day or having a bad patch, did you ever see people not coming up to you as much? ADAM SCOTT: Well, eventually, there was nothing really to talk about (laughing). No, I don't think so. Look, I also tried to be fairly straight up front with you all and tell you how I felt, and that changed on a daily basis on how my game felt, too. So one day I was telling you, I think I'm really close, and played bad the next day and obviously not that close. I didn't have a really good handle on my game. But I was trying to give you how I felt at the time. Q. Was that the most frustrating, when you might go out and shoot 68 and turn around and think, okay, a step in the right direction and the next day you shoot 75? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it is. I kind of got my hopes up in the middle of the year. I played good in Loch Lomond and going into the British Open, I'm thinking, this is a good time for it all to turn around, and next month is big in the world of golf. Yeah, it wasn't quite there, but it's all a good learning experience. You never stop doing that in golf I think. Q. What was your first reaction -- like wow, this was different? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, the first, when I walked on the first the other day, I guess they might have planted some trees down the right, it looked like. I thought it was a little more open looking. Obviously they have tightened up a couple of fairways and grown the rough lines in for the tournament. But you know there's a rock not on the 8th hole anymore. That needed to be moved over if they were going to keep the rock on the 8th, because that was in the left rough. And that's about it. Q. Have you played the Tiger Woods video game a lot? ADAM SCOTT: I've played it a couple of times. Not recently. No good at video games. DOUG MILNE: Adam, as always, we appreciate the time. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|