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WGC HSBC CHAMPIONS

November 4, 2011

Thongchai Jaidee

SHANGHAI, CHINA

CALVIN KOH: Adam, a round of 65, take us through your fantastic round today.
ADAM SCOTT: Well, it was a good round today to keep pace with the leaders. I got off to a fairly fast start on the front nine. It was nice to make a couple on the back nine to take advantage of the good front nine.
So, you know, I'm pleased to be in touch but obviously scoring is low, so I'm going to have to play well on the weekend to keep in touch with them.

Q. What is your strategy tomorrow, because you played quite good today, and tomorrow will you be conservative or aggressive?
ADAM SCOTT: We'll just have to see what the course is playing like. But it's very soft, so the ball is not rolling out very far. We can attack flags, and I think while it's soft, everyone will shoot low scores. So I'm going to have to make lots of birdies.

Q. How have your putting statistics improved since you started using the longer butter?
ADAM SCOTT: Have they?

Q. Have the, and by how much?
ADAM SCOTT: By a lot. I think every statistic they keep on the PGA TOUR show an improvement, and I think I was 180-something overall putting last year, and this year, I'm 60th or something like that. So it's improved quite a lot, no doubt.

Q. They are quite traditional back in Australia. Did anybody, sort of old coaches or anything, say anything to you about the switch, or not?
ADAM SCOTT: In a negative way, you mean? (Smiling).

Q. Raising their eyebrows or saying --
ADAM SCOTT: No. I think obviously turned a few heads earlier in the year when everybody first saw me using it, but no, there's been -- it's been quite a movement and it's been well documented that so many people are switching to a longer putter, maybe not the long putter like mine, but the belly putter, this year. It's kind of in the evolution of the game now.

Q. Wondering if you had any grandfather who tut-tutted.
ADAM SCOTT: No, I'm sure -- I even consider myself a traditionalist, but it's never been against the rules, so I don't know why it's not a pure part of the game. People have been putting different ways for a long time.

Q. Seems like on the 17th hole, Lee Westwood's caddie is making some fun out of it. Can you describe it?
ADAM SCOTT: Oh, he was just telling -- regaling us with a tale from the Masters a few years ago about a funny thing that happened at the Masters. It was killing some time while we were waiting, that's all.

Q. You can share the tale, the story with us?
ADAM SCOTT: I could. It's been a long story. (Laughter) Billy can tell you if you want to find out. I don't want to ruin his good story.

Q. But did it help you relax? Because two of you, I think two of the three golfers got a birdie at the last hole; did it really help you relax?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, not on my tee shot. I pulled it straight left in the rough after that.
No, I think it was good company out there, playing with Lee and Billy and Keegan and Steve. We all enjoyed ourselves out there. It's nice when you have a bit of time like that that you can share a story or something.

Q. Can you tell us about you and your caddie? It's been a couple of months since you started your partnership. How is the relationship? How does he help you out when it comes to calming you down or helping you in your game?
ADAM SCOTT: Obviously he's a great caddie. That goes without saying. His record speaks for itself.
You know, I think he's been good for my game. He's really into it and he's motivated to see me improve, and he thinks he can help me in certain areas improve, which is great for me.
Sometimes these things just give you a new focus and some new motivation. So it's been very good for me. I think we get along very well. We've been fairly successful so far. Hopefully more success to come.

Q. Is there any Tiger trick he's passed on, something that he learnt?
ADAM SCOTT: No, not really. But I think -- you know, I think he has his way of caddying and that's just the way he did it I would assume with Tiger and that's what he seems to be doing with me.
I mean, he's kind of got it all planned out and I don't think it matters who the player is. You can probably caddie in a similar way.

Q. So he's a great man for sort of pre-round preparation, is he?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think so. I think he's got a good game plan and good strategy for course management. Obviously he's not afraid to step in and make sure that the right club is being hit or the right play off the tee is implemented; to make sure that not too much risk is being taken or the wrong play is happening.

Q. Was the 15th the only green you missed?
ADAM SCOTT: Yes.

Q. Playing with partners like Lee Westwood and obviously his caddie, does it improve your game by giving you positive or negative power or motivation, and how can you make such good -- nine birdies, in a round?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, if it's Lee and Billy that's doing the good, positive energy, I hope I get paired with them a bit more often. Hopefully I can generate some myself.
But as far as making nine birdies in a round, some days the putter is hot, and I hit the ball well, like I said; I only missed one green and I gave myself 17 chances for birdies and I made nine of them. That's what we are trying to do. That's what we practise for.

Q. Wonder if you could speak to what it would mean to win two WGCs in one year, because only Tiger and Phil have done that.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, that would be a really good year I think. I feel like overall I played really well this year, and I wouldn't say I would be disappointed to only win one tournament for the year, but I feel like I've played well enough and been in position a few other times and haven't taken advantage of it.
So I would like to be in position late on Sunday and see if I can edge out the field here. And then to win two World Golf Championships in a year is a really good year. These are tournaments that you want to add up by the end of your career.

Q. Can you give us highlights of the 18, choose one or two holes that you think were really difficult or were really good up-and-down or really good highlights of your round?
ADAM SCOTT: I think four birdies in a row on the front nine was obviously a highlight. And on the 6th hole, I hit a really nice 7-iron in very close, it was three or four feet. That was my best shot of the day.

Q. How long was that?
ADAM SCOTT: 190.

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