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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 11, 2006

Adam Scott

HONOLULU, HAWAII

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Adam Scott, thanks for joining us, beginning of the 2006 season for you, maybe just some opening comments about playing here at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, what a great way to start the year, come to Hawaii for a week, and it's a pretty relaxed start of the year. It would be nice to get off to a good start with a good finish here and get started in the right direction and not chasing late in the season.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Not a whole lot of an off season anymore for PGA TOUR players, and especially international players like yourself. Maybe talk about what you did since THE TOUR Championship.

ADAM SCOTT: I played a few events since THE TOUR Championship. I think I played five more weeks after that. So I've had a four week break still, though, it goes by quick but it was enjoyable. Really watched a lot of cricket and only played golf for the last week before I came here. So I had three weeks off golf and that was nice.

Then after this week, I've actually got three more weeks off at home, so I have a pretty nice break now and that should hold me over until the end of the year.

Q. You were saying at the end of last year you were not sure if you would play here, did you just decide to pop over because it's relatively close to home?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's close. It's an easy trip I think for us. I like the golf course and it's windy and I like playing in the wind.

So I feel like this is a course where you've got to shape your shots a little bit and keep everything under control. It's not really a bomber's paradise. It's challenging for everyone, but I think I've got a good chance to do well here.

Q. Did you have any conversation at all with the TOUR toward the end of last year about playing last week?

ADAM SCOTT: I mentioned it to Tim at THE TOUR Championship, but he was pretty solid that, you know, a rule is a rule and that's how it stands at the moment; I was kind of tongue in cheek as I mentioned it.

I don't know, I think I was disappointed not to be there, but that was the rule in place at the time.

Q. Do you think it's a rule that ought to be looked at, given you didn't take anyone's spot last week?

ADAM SCOTT: I didn't take anyone's spot, right.

Q. Tiger's, maybe.

ADAM SCOTT: You know, I think if you get given the trophy, then you won a golf tournament, and maybe you're just in the winner's category for the rest of the year that you won. Maybe you don't get a two year exemption, but maybe you can be in the winner's category for the rest of the year and maybe play in the Mercedes. I don't know if that's fair or not. All I can do is try and win this year and get myself back there.

Q. Did you watch it at all or pay attention to it?

ADAM SCOTT: I really didn't catch much of it. It was on in the afternoon in Australia, actually, so I was out working on the game by then.

Q. What do you make of Stuart winning there three times in a row, any explanation for why he can win there so well?

ADAM SCOTT: No. I mean, there's no explanation for anything happening in golf, really. I think obviously he feels very comfortable playing there. You know, he spent the whole week in the lead pretty much last week.

I don't know, it's just one of those things, he feels very comfortable there and it's a great way to start your year for Stuey now, and I'm sure he's looking at having one of his biggest years now and really kicking on.

Q. Do you think Michelle can make the cut this week?

ADAM SCOTT: It's a big week for us, for me; it's not a big deal for her to beat me, but it's a big deal for me. (Laughter). Two years ago she only missed by one. I think if she putts really well, yeah, she can make the cut I think.

Q. Do you think the general feeling with the players is it's fine for her to play this week because it's her hometown, but maybe she'd wear out her welcome if she started doing it three or four times a year?

ADAM SCOTT: I think it's a good thing for golf at the moment. It's a big story in the game. I think we need all of the exposure we can get and the media hype. I think that's good. I think she should if she starts making the cuts, then I think she can play as many as she wants, as many as she can get into.

You know, I think it wears a bit thin on everyone if she were to keep missing all the cuts. But there's no doubt she's good enough to make the cut.

Q. You talked about your off season, was the bigger off season in August for you? I think that's about the time

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I took three weeks off then. That was a much needed break, it was wearing a bit thin on me. Golf was frustrating and I just needed to go back home and get away from the Tour more than golf. I worked on my game, but things were just frustrating me. I wasn't shooting as good of a score as I thought I could. I was making the worst of it out there and I really wasn't enjoying it, so I had to go home and be happy for a few weeks and then come back out for the end of the year, and I think I did a pretty good job of that.

You know, that was a big break for me as far as getting my head right again.

Q. As a young player, how much are you still tinkering with your preparation for the majors, or how much are you, basically "I've got my system going into The Masters, U.S. Open," etc., or are you still kind of figuring out best way to prepare for those events?

ADAM SCOTT: I still haven't really figured out what the best way to prepare is, because there are events around all of the majors that you would like to win, as well.

I really haven't focused on taking weeks off or playing. I've just been going with the flow, and it really has not worked out that great for me so far. Although, last year I played a lot better in the majors.

I don't know what the answer is to that. Yeah, you've just got to find one that's comfortable. It's hard to just focus on the majors because I'm not at that stage of my career at all, not even close. Tiger and Mickelson and Ernie and Vijay, I think they are the only four guys who can afford to do that.

When you're trying to peak at other weeks around the majors, it's tough, also, just to think of Augusta.

Q. Is there a model out there you could emulate or anybody you could talk to about how to did that?

ADAM SCOTT: Well, see, Tiger is a hard model to emulate because I think that's unrealistic. (Laughter).

I think from most everyone else, other than Tiger, it just happens when it happens. If you're good enough and you've worked at it enough, it will just happen. For some people, that's when they are young, and other people, Phil, it took him a long time, but now he's got through and it gives him a huge confidence boost and now he's got a couple of them.

Like I said, I don't think there's any right or wrong way in golf. Fate kind of takes over.

Q. I'm not sure I understood what you were saying. You obviously look at the four as the biggest of the year, you don't build your year around them quite yet, or are you looking at other things?

ADAM SCOTT: It's hard to just focus on those four when there's so much, like THE PLAYERS Championship is right before The Masters for this year, and I just find that I don't know. I don't think I can afford to focus on those four.

Q. Do you think you would hurt yourself at the Nissan or at the Bay Hill or something like that?

ADAM SCOTT: Maybe, if I'm just trying to if all I think about is Augusta, then where is my motivation for THE PLAYERS Championship or The Match Play championship, these other big events where you want to be in good form.

Q. That's a lot of pressure on you at Augusta.

ADAM SCOTT: And then if you don't perform at Augusta, it's a big letdown. You want to try and play your best every week you play, but I think there are other big tournaments for me to win, as well as the majors.

Q. Have you changed the way you measure whether you've had a good year or not to the time you came out?

ADAM SCOTT: Absolutely.

Q. How has that evolved?

ADAM SCOTT: Well, I think every year I've gotten better, which is a good thing. And I think every year up until last year, I've had a better year than the year before. But last year I wouldn't say I had my best year. I won three times around the world, but I think I definitely didn't get the most out of my game, which is very disappointing, for probably half of the year. And that was due to some poor putting some weeks, some poor short game, some poor driving other weeks. I just didn't quite put it all together as much as I wanted.

Q. You've got some competition for top Aussie these guys with the two A's over the last couple of months. Any extra motivation or is that irrelevant to you?

ADAM SCOTT: Sure, I take pride in being the highest ranked Australian. Certainly the way it's looking, not just with Stuey and Rob, I think there are a lot of other guys. I think Geoff you'll see come on this year, and it's going to take some good golf to be there at the end of the year.

I'm certainly playing well. I just haven't won as recently as they have. So nothing that a win this week wouldn't fix and firm my position up at the top.

Q. While you say you have not figured out your preparation for the majors, is it likely to be similar this year, in terms of your playing schedule?

ADAM SCOTT: I think a couple of tournaments have been moved around. I'll have a week off before Augusta and a week off before the U.S. Open, and I might play before the British Open and I might have a few weeks off before the US PGA, so it's a bit all over the place.

Sometimes I feel quite good playing into the tournament because it's only a few days between competition. Other times you need a break. I'm kind of going with, if I'm playing well, I'm going to play before the tournament and just keep playing well. You don't want to be playing well and sitting at home.

Q. Do you ever see yourself cutting back on the amount of tournaments you play in Europe?

ADAM SCOTT: I don't play that many. I play the bare minimum.

Q. Still have your membership?

ADAM SCOTT: So if I'm cutting back, I'm not going to become a member. It might happen one day if I get really lazy and don't want to travel those couple weeks extra a year.

I still feel like I was given a great chance in Europe and I enjoy being a member of The European Tour and contemplation a couple of events over there. I'm going to keep doing that while I still feel that it's beneficial to my game.

Q. Do you see yourself buying a home any time soon in this fair country?

ADAM SCOTT: I haven't planned on it yet. So, no, not any time soon.

Q. When are you going to start in Europe, what's your first event over there? Johnnie Walker?

ADAM SCOTT: Johnnie Walker. I'll play, it's the BMW Championship at Wentworth.

Q. When is that, do you know?

ADAM SCOTT: It's the week before Jack's tournament.

Q. Do you still come over for Jack's?

ADAM SCOTT: Mm hmm.

Q. Have you spoken to Greg lately?

ADAM SCOTT: Not since the end of last year, no.

Q. What did you make of the criticism he got down there, was that like the par for the course controversy?

ADAM SCOTT: From Mark, you mean?

Q. Yeah.

ADAM SCOTT: I think it was a little uncalled for. You know, it was I don't know, the whole media circus down there was I think uncalled for. It was just damaging the game of golf, all that stuff in Australia, and it's a shame.

Unfortunately sometimes players and sometimes also the officials put their foot in it and don't make it any better at all. So it's an unfortunate situation, and I've been dragged into it, as have other people.

I'd like it to turn around and become a little more positive for the game of golf. You have guys like Rob winning all three and Stuey comes over here and wins and we have 25 guys, think we can feel we've put together a pretty strong field ourselves down there. It would be nice if it was a little more positive outlook on things.

Q. But did it not look bad, Greg turning up for a course opening a few miles away?

ADAM SCOTT: See, I don't have a problem with that. Greg's 51, you know.

Q. Do you think he's done his bit for Australian golf?

ADAM SCOTT: What do you think? He played 30 years down there. There's no doubt he's done his bit for Australian golf. If he doesn't want to play at 51, then that's his choice. I think that if he does play, that's a real bonus to our tournament. But we've got to look at guys, myself, and the other guys out here on Tour, we've got to try and get back and play as much as we can to do our bit now.

Q. Which one did you miss last year or the year before because of the Skins Game?

ADAM SCOTT: I missed the Australian Open.

Q. Do you feel obligated to play all three?

ADAM SCOTT: I do to a point. I don't feel like that's necessarily the best thing for my game, either. I still feel like playing the Skins Game was an opportunity I couldn't turn down because I may never play another one, I don't know. But it was huge exposure for me in America over Thanksgiving, and something that you've just got to do.

Q. Can you see when the season next year ends, the big stuff ends in September, any chance there for Australian golf to take advantage to get some of the boys here to go down and play, for example, the Open, which some of your guys used to think was the fifth majors?

ADAM SCOTT: Some of your guys did, too. Jack Nicklaus has won it six times, Arnie and Gary Player, those guys.

Q. Sarazen.

ADAM SCOTT: The list is unbelievable. It was the fifth major as far as I'm concerned. You know, it's kind of stood still for 30 years, unfortunately, the Australian Open. It's been swamped by other tournaments, so I think there is an opportunity with the earlier finish. It's something that the Australian Tour and the promoters of the tournament need to look at really good and hard because I think there's an opportunity to get some players down there. They just need to go about it the right way and I think it can happen.

Q. Is there any competition again Australia and Asia right now, given that a lot of those events are kind of falling in the same part of the calendar?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think there is. I mean, between Europe, Asia and Australia and South Africa, as well, there's a lot of tournaments and not that many dates. So everyone is kind of up against it.

Unfortunately for us, I think Australia is coming out on the bottom of all this, and I don't know why that is exactly. We're kind of getting less and less dates available just to play.

But, yeah, I think there is a chance with the new schedule and a September finish. That would be good if they could find a couple, somehow, to bring some players down and really boost golf in Australia.

Q. Did you ever meet Kerry Packer?

ADAM SCOTT: I have met him a couple of times.

Q. What was his presence in a room like?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I mean, he was he did carry a presence, he was a big guy, too, you know. Certainly commanded the respect of everyone in the room, that's for sure, and nasty in business I'm sure, as well.

Q. Do you think Australian golf needs maybe someone like him, for what he did to the Open 25 years ago?

ADAM SCOTT: Look what he did with cricket, that's all you've got to look at.

Yeah, it would be great, but with so many different promoters and owners of tournaments, it's going to be very hard to say one guy is going to fix it, because it's scattered all over the place. But it would be great if a big businessman had the vision of creating something in Australia, I think that would be good.

Q. What are you looking at early, going back to Perth?

ADAM SCOTT: Perth, L.A., Match Play, TPC, Masters.

Q. Doesn't seem like a whole lot to start the year, is that what you did last year?

ADAM SCOTT: I played Doral last year, as well and Mercedes. So it's a couple less.

Q. And the Johnnie Walker was later?

ADAM SCOTT: The Johnnie Walker was later.

Q. Did you not like Doral? Or move on to the next question.

ADAM SCOTT: Next question. (Laughter.)

Q. They just announced today Doral is going to be a WGC event next year.

ADAM SCOTT: I love Doral. (Laughter)

End of FastScripts.

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