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WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONALAugust 6, 2011Adam ScottAKRON, OHIO CHRIS REIMER: 54-hole leader Adam Scott here at the Bridgestone Invitational. Adam, I think your first round you went lights out; second round was a little bit more of a struggle. Was today something kind of in between those two? ADAM SCOTT: Today was a good round because I wasn't really feeling it, although I'm swinging well. Just a couple shots got away from me throughout the round, and I somehow managed to straighten it out early on the back nine and played really nicely coming in, so I was very happy with this round. Q. What did you straighten out? ADAM SCOTT: Well, I was just -- a few holes that I tried to draw the ball off the tee, I left them out to the right. I couldn't get the ball working back to the left, and I've been hitting the ball really nice the other way this week, left to right, so I just went back and hit everything left to right coming in. I mean, it couldn't be so stubborn and had to go left to right. Q. That's been an issue for you the whole week, hasn't it, hitting it right to left? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I've pretty much played left to right this week, which I don't often do. But that's what I feel I've got at the moment, so I've got to stick with it. Q. There was a point of amusement here in the media center. Were you aware at all there was a report on an Australian media website that you had gotten married? ADAM SCOTT: No, I didn't. I was unaware. Did Bothy write it? (Laughter) What's he doing back there? We don't know. Q. Evidently some guy had read something that Donegan had written about a married Scot, meaning Martin Laird, who just got married last week, and put two and two together and it ran all day yesterday. All these women are relieved apparently. ADAM SCOTT: I was unaware. Q. How does it feel to be the old man on the leaderboard right now? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's not bad, to be honest. I'm just happy to be on the leaderboard. I don't care how old I am. It is amazing, Jason playing well again and Ryo, these guys, teenagers. It's unbelievable. I think golf is looking in good shape for the future really with players like this up here now. I think it's really great to see Ryo play well this week over here. It's big for him. Q. Do you feel old compared to those guys? ADAM SCOTT: No, I don't feel old. I still act like a teenager sometimes. Q. Did you do this just to get back at your caddie because we lost in the rugby last night and decided to have a good round today? ADAM SCOTT: I don't know if it's really getting back at him, is it? It would be getting back at him if I went the other way. Q. Hit him in the wallet. ADAM SCOTT: Exactly. No, he was fired up. That's the only positive I take out of them winning the rugby. He was fired up for today. He was nice, though; he didn't rub it in all day, just this morning. Q. You've played with Ryo, I believe, a few times, maybe even in Japan. I was wondering what that's like, and what do you think of him at 19, his ability and what he's already done at his age? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I haven't played with him for a couple years now since The Presidents Cup, I think. I played practice rounds with him there, and he was 17. Yeah, it's incredible. I first saw him in Japan when he was 15, and he had already won an event over there. I mean, this kid is really amazing. Like I said, I think this week is really big for him. It's great that he's playing well over here probably for the first time, if I'm not mistaken, first time he's really challenging at a world event. You know, his game is progressing really nicely, it seems, and I think we just all should keep out of his way and just let him mature. I mean, he's only 19. He's got everything in front of him. It's pretty impressive. He's got a very mature game, too, with that, but as he grows and gets stronger and smarter about how to play the game, he could be a world beater, or he already kind of is. Q. I remember Jeff said he saw him when he was 15, and no one out here can really appreciate what it's like being Tiger. He thought Ryo probably could, that that was the closest he had ever seen to the Tiger treatment. ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I mean, maybe even -- Q. Were there examples you saw there? ADAM SCOTT: Absolutely, maybe even more so over there. I feel like he's even more under the microscope. He's one of the -- he's probably their biggest sportsman up with some baseballers, and just even what goes on outside here on the chair, I can't imagine. He handles it so well. I think he is really, genuinely a great person, and he handles himself so well for -- he's been doing that stuff for four years already. Most people would have gone nuts. Q. Have you ever needed a chair when you were back home in Australia? ADAM SCOTT: No, I just -- it's only Bothy, really. Get out of my way, Bothy. (Laughter.) Q. I think Harig actually suggested we should put Tiger in a chair. Speaking of Ryo's maturity on the course, he's giving all of his winnings away this year to the tsunami relief. Can you talk about your impressions of that? ADAM SCOTT: That's an incredibly generous gesture from a young man, really. You know, and it's nice to see. I think it probably inspires a lot of other people to give generously, too, so that's the point of giving, I guess. It might have little impact in the big scheme of things in Japan, but it's a huge impact worldwide, and hopefully that helps the recovery and the rebuild. It was a real tragedy what happened over there, so to see that from a young guy like Ryo is fantastic. He should be proud of himself, and Japan should be really proud of him. Q. When you turned pro, you went to Europe, and I think part of that was you wanted to progress your way up to the PGA TOUR. Could you imagine being 19 like he is and now already two years into being thrust onto the PGA TOUR and how hard it is to win out here? Is that sort of mind-blowing when you look back to when you were 19? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I guess so. He's a lot more mature as a golfer than I was at 19. I was pretty raw and just turned pro and didn't know much at all about anything to do with the TOUR, and he's been doing it for four years at least. It is, it's tough to win out here. He's making the right steps. He's doing everything right. It's important that he starts playing well outside of Japan, as well, for him to gain experience. And I think he did incredibly well at the Presidents Cup a couple years ago, so he's got it. He's got it. It's just -- you know, as an athlete you don't want to be patient, but sometimes you just have to be a little patient. You want everything straightaway, but he's working in the right direction, and this game is -- you know, it's a long career, and sometimes you've just got to be a little patient. Q. On the day there was a lot of movement, a half dozen or so guys at the top at some point during the day. Was there any concern after 10 of falling too far behind? ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, as I said, I wasn't feeling great after 10 because I started nicely and then I started losing these drives in the rough and started making bogeys, and other guys were playing nicely, so that's why I really had to straighten it out and get it back in play and give myself some chances, and I started doing that from 11 onwards. That was important. And that was why I was really happy with the round, because I was at a point where sometimes it could have got away from me, but I feel like I really refocused nicely and hit the shots I needed to hit to get it in the clubhouse. Q. Were there one or two shots that turned it around for you? ADAM SCOTT: Probably just a good drive off 11, aimed it down the left and let it come back into the fairway and hit a good one there, and then kept hitting good shots after that on 13 and 14, awkward drives. Q. Everyone talked about young Ryo, but I want to talk about Jason, your Masters mate, and you. Is this a bit of a resurgence of Aussie golf that you can push forward? You've both had good seasons and are both looking really good at the moment? ADAM SCOTT: Well, you know, I think Aussie golf is in good shape. For a while Geoff and I were leading the way there kind of up in the world rankings. And Jason is right up there at the top; he's in the top 10, I think. And I feel like I'm moving in the right direction, and I think that'll probably pull a couple other guys in the right direction. Richard Green nearly won again last week. We've got a lot of good golfers. But I really like Jason's attitude. He's out here, he means business. He's not out here to make friends is what I kind of feel like. He comes to the course, he means business, he wants it badly, and it's good to see, because he's not waiting for experience to just come along, he's out here getting it. He really impressed me at Augusta on Sunday when I think back to how he played, and then obviously what he's done since. He's solid. Yeah, I think Aussie golf is in good shape. Hopefully we can keep playing well and pull a couple guys up with us. Q. I guess where I'm at is we've been spoiled obviously in Australia, we had Greg Norman for so long, and we had you come through, and then we had multiple win seasons for a long time. Badds won earlier this year but hasn't had a multiple win year. It'd be nice if one of you could get over the line? ADAM SCOTT: It would be. It would be nice if it was me. But look, we have been spoiled. We were winning a lot, and it's just getting harder to win, it really is. It's just getting that much harder to win out here. They're not easy to come by. We've got to work for every one. But it would be good to see the Aussie guys win a little bit more. I know we're all trying. Q. Did you feel immediately comfortable when you make the switch to the long putter? And since you don't see many of those out here on TOUR, did you have to get over feeling self-conscious about that switch? ADAM SCOTT: You know, honestly it took me a couple days' practice at home to feel comfortable with it, and I think that was partly -- I was so uncomfortable with the short putter at the time that you could have given me anything to putt with and it would have been better. It only took a couple days, and I started liking it a lot, because I saw a lot of putts going in, just putting at home on the green. After a couple weeks, I was kind of over the thing of I am going to use a long putter; I could care less. I just want to make putts and make the game a little easier for myself, so it didn't bother me too much. It turned a few heads here in the locker room, but I think it's justified itself so far. I think a few people have taken notice of how I'm putting. Q. Obviously your form is terrific right now, but just with regard to Steve, I'm wondering, with the change, particularly this week, have there been any specific psychological or even tactical impact things that have helped you along here with him since he's taken over the bag? ADAM SCOTT: Look, yeah, whenever you have a fresh face on the bag, I think there's a bit of positive energy going and you're that little bit more excited again to get out there and work together and get into a groove, so there's obviously that. But this week in particular, yeah, he's seen most of the best golf I've ever played around this place. And I think he's got a very good understanding of this golf course, and it certainly has helped me a few times when we're pulling clubs because he just understands how far the ball is traveling on certain holes and situations. I think a couple times this week that's been a big help. He's on top of that. Q. Speaking of psychological, when you wake up in the morning on the last day, what's the pressure that you feel? And how do you tell yourself to deal with that pressure when you know you're going to be in the final pairing? ADAM SCOTT: Well, I'm just going to look at it as a great opportunity. You know, it's a pretty bunched-up leaderboard and a pretty tough golf course out there, but a couple of guys are going to play well. I'm just going to have to play well to win tomorrow. You know, my strategy is just to have a chance when I'm coming down the last. I feel like my game is in good enough shape. The one thing I'm going to focus on is my rhythm, my rhythm of my golf swing and try and keep it nice and smooth because everything else feels good. You know, I've been in this position before, and I've won some and I've lost some, but a one-shot lead is not a lot over 18 holes, so by no means am I a clear favorite or anything. I don't feel like there's a lot of pressure on me, I just want to play well tomorrow. That's the main thing. And I think if I do that, I can win. Q. You were saying earlier Ishikawa is making all the right steps. Despite his young age, the maturity you were talking about, his extraordinary talent, are you surprised it's taken him this long to make an impact here in the States at all? ADAM SCOTT: No, I'm not, and I don't mean that in a degrading way to his game at all. It is the biggest stage in golf, these world events, the PGA TOUR. The depth of the field is a lot deeper. You know, I just think it's a great achievement that he can do it at 19 and be in this position. It's remarkable, his maturity. I don't know where it comes from, whether it's his parents or the people around him, but they're doing a really good job with him. But it's not surprising. But it would be surprising if he's not there more regularly from now on, though. I think he definitely can produce this kind of golf. That's good to see. CHRIS REIMER: Thank you, Adam. Good luck tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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