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BOOZ ALLEN CLASSIC

June 11, 2005

Adam Scott

BETHESDA, MARYLAND

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Defending champion, Adam Scott, you're on shot off the lead. An up and down round for you, but you made a few birdies on the back side to get back into contention and a lot of players near the lead. If you could start with some opening comments?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it was a good day. It's never easy going out at the end of the day when most of the field has shot 4 or 5 under. You kind of feel like, well, you expect yourself to do that. When it didn't happen early for me, I had to stay patient and get through a bad stretch at 8 and 9 there with not too much damage, and then had the whole back nine to make up some round.

And I knew I was playing well. I swung it the best today out of the other two days and knew if I just kept swinging it that way, I would have my chances, and fortunately took a couple of them.

Q. Given how the front has been playing, as opposed to the back, do you feel like there might have been a few missed opportunities there the first half of the day?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, sure, I did. I missed plenty. A 3 putt on four was uncalled for. But, you know, I was playing well. Like I said yesterday, the front nine is where you can make your score, and the back nine, you've got to hang on a little bit harder. Today that wasn't the case for me and I had to make it up, and on the back nine, I think my swing is back to where it should be, so I was able to do that.

Q. Who are the players on TOUR that you like to get feedback from on your game in terms of talking about things you're trying to grow as a player and that you like to reflect with?

ADAM SCOTT: The list is pretty long. Ernie, for one. I really respect his game and the way he plays the game. I like watching him play, as well. It's almost like I can feed off his feel or what he's trying to feel to do something. You know, Ernie, and Thomas Bjorn, I speak a lot with him with about my game. A couple of the younger guys, we all talk about our games, obviously. And, you know, I speak with Greg a fair bit, too, about how it's going when I catch up with him.

I mean, for me, I love watching Ernie play. I love watching Tiger play. Those two guys, if I were to set at home, I would want to see them on TV.

Q. Two questions. How do you deal with the anxiety of having a chance to win a tournament? And do many of the players take drugs to deal with their anxiety problems?

ADAM SCOTT: No. I mean, I don't I think it's natural to be a little nervous to have a chance to win. If you're not, then you don't care and you probably won't win.

Never heard of anyone taking drugs. The only thing I've ever heard of a few years ago was those beta blockers, but I don't even know what they are. I mean, I wouldn't know if people are taking drugs. I doubt anything can help you.

Q. Are you a little surprised that a guy that's 30 years older than you is leading this tournament?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, a little bit. He's still got a TOUR card, so he should be out here. He should be able to compete. I think, you know, it's the kind of course where Tom Kite would play well at. He's played here a lot probably in the past and knows his way around the place. If he plays well, he should think like he could win.

Q. As much as the media gives the mickey occasionally, do you enjoy it when a guy that has taken some grief for doing what he's doing puts himself in that position?

ADAM SCOTT: You mean Tom Kite?

Q. Is it fun for you guys to see a guy like that do well?

ADAM SCOTT: You mean he's taking grief for playing out here back on TOUR?

Q. Yeah.

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I mean, I'm sure he'd love to prove everyone here who has knocked him down wrong. Yeah, that's fun for us absolutely. I think it's great to see him out there playing well. He's justifying that he should be out here.

Q. You played at Avenal and you've played here, is there a sentiment among the players that they would rather have the tournament here at Congressional? And how much say do you think the players should have in the future? I know it's more popular now that it's Congressional; how do you feel about that?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I mean, I'm sure the players would love to have the tournament here all the time, but I think that's unrealistic from what I've heard, and it will be going back to Avenal. It would be nice if they made some changes to Avenal to make it a little better than it is; I think that needs to be done, and I think then their chance of attracting a field like we're looking at this week.

You know, this is my favorite style of golf course is playing these more traditional, older style golf courses. I said it earlier in the week, rather than the new style of modern TPC courses, I would prefer to play on this kind of golf course. I think it's a bit more of a challenge. But, you know, the end of the day, you've got to go where it's best for the TOUR, and you'll support that. I think most of the guys have really enjoyed it here this week.

Q. As far as nerves go, what's the difference in your mind set tonight, whereas last year at this tournament, you were kind of a clear cut leader and what you had to do was pretty much go out and make sure you don't blow it? Whereas this year, I think there's something like 40 guys within five shots of the lead and anybody can come out of that. Does that change your mind set at all?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I feel much better this year than I did last year. It's hard to sleep on a big lead, because all you think about is blowing it.

You know, I'll be fine tonight. I'm really there's so many people amongst this golf tournament, I can't expect myself to win tomorrow. I do think I can win, but I can't expect that, because Phil Mickelson could shoot 8 under tomorrow, and that's going to be tough to do. Someone is going to do it. There's so many, there are 20 guys within two shots maybe, someone is going to have the round of their life tomorrow. Hopefully it's me. But, you know, all you can do is just wait and see what happens tomorrow. Whereas last year, I just had to make sure I didn't have the worst round of my life, to hang on and win. I think it's a much easier night's sleep for me tonight.

Q. There's a sort of perception that you guys in a lot of respects are kind of totally businessmen and you don't really care what the score is and all that sort of thing, just, "Go out there and play my game and see what happens at the end of the day." That said, is there a sense of, do you get a little geeked up when you walk out on the range and there's this many great players and this kind of setting at this thing? Are you a little excited tomorrow?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's going to be a great day to watch golf tomorrow. Some weeks I like being off and seeing Ernie and Tiger and Phil battling it out at the Byron Nelson or whenever it was I had the week off. When I get out there tomorrow, I want to be a part of it. Hopefully people enjoy watching me play out there with those guys, and I'd definitely like to get the better of them tomorrow.

Q. The idea of competing against the world's best here, that's got to be a great challenge for you.

ADAM SCOTT: It is, yeah, this is what I'm playing for is to be in this position, to play against the best players in the world and prove to myself and, you know, really, just to myself that I am one of the best players in the world.

I mean, I don't feel like I've got to prove that to anyone else, and you can believe it or not, but this is why I've practiced hard and that's why I've entered the tournament this week, to beat these guys and come out on top.

Q. I'm working on a story on golfers being more sensitive to noise and movement in the crowd now more than ever; whereas other sports fans are getting more and more rowdy. You seem to be the kind of player that can play under any condition, like a truck went by on a hole and it didn't even bother you. Is there a feeling that you need absolute quiet to perform or do you mind a rowdier crowd?

ADAM SCOTT: I don't mind a little noise, as long as it's not dead quiet and all of a sudden a shriek in the backswing or something; that's off putting. But if it's noisy it's going to be noisy. There are 10,000 people out there watching, so it's going to be noisy. So it doesn't bother me at all. I don't really mind if it's rowdy.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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