U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2020

September 17, 2020

Adam Scott

Winged Foot Golf Club

Flash Interview

Q. Adam Scott, 1-over 71. Adam, can you take us through your round a little bit?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, we had kind of ideal conditions out there, I think, for the first round of a U.S. Open. I was a little scratchy into the greens when I missed a couple fairways, and you can't be too critical about your shots into the greens from there.

When I was in the fairway, just wasn't quite dialed in and missed a couple of greens, like in the 7th, made a good bogey. I putted well today, though. If I can straighten it out with the irons, everything else feels good.

Q. Nice birdies on 8 and 9. Can you talk us through those?

ADAM SCOTT: I needed it. I was kind of stalling at the end there. Hit a really good drive down 8. I actually pulled my second shot into the green but got away with it, rolled it in, took advantage of that one. Then hit a really great pitch from about 58 on the last to a tap-in. It was a nice way to finish the round. Lunch is going to taste a lot better.

Q. It seems there's a domino effect that either goes for you or against you that starts off the tee box. If you can put the ball in the fairway, then positive things can sort of happen. If you go into this rough, it seems like you're really scrambling. Is it in some ways almost that simple?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it is. If you have a great day off the tee, there's a chance to have some real momentum out there. There's no wind, and the greens are soft still. So these scores of 4 under or whatever is very, very realistic if you do hit enough fairways.

It doesn't mean you have to hit them all, but maybe if you miss one per nine, you can hit a good score and keep it rolling. If you're missing four fairways each nine, you're going to have a hard time. It's very unpredictable. It's hard to control and to leave yourself in a good spot for the next one. You really need to be playing from the short grass.

Q. Is the test at this venue more physical or more mental?

ADAM SCOTT: No, it's probably more mental. It plays long by yardage, but without wind, it doesn't show its teeth. If that wind gets out of the north later in the week, then the physical test will come into it too.

You know, really, it's mental at the moment, especially given the situation we're not playing with crowds. The atmosphere and the mojo and the stuff that they create for players, whether they're on a roll or going the other way, doesn't happen. So you've really got to do it all yourself at the moment.

Q. Is there a section of the golf course -- a lot has been made about how difficult this test is going to be. Is there one particular area on the course where you look at it and say, if I'm going to make some birdies, if I'm going to try to make a move, this is probably the little string or the run where it needs to happen?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, 6 through 15, I'd say, is your big opportunity. It starts tough and finishes tough. 6 through 15 is a chance. You know, if you can get on a little roll and get the rhythm going and the swing and hit those fairways, you can make a score happen.

The greens are difficult, but if you're really sharp out of the fairway, there are some pins that you'll feed into, and you can take advantage. If you're not, then you get away from it, and it's hard to two-putt. You just need a few things going your way out there.

Q. Speaking of the greens, given all the attention on fairways and rough and everything, has it overshadowed how difficult these greens can be and how important it is to be in the right spot and under the hole?

ADAM SCOTT: I don't think we've seen it yet because they're soft still. Hopefully, they're going to firm up over the next couple days. Then you'll start seeing how difficult the greens are. It's still at the moment you can kind of get away with making an error. It doesn't mean you make par. It means you just don't make a double maybe.

Q. You're offered three 70s, would you take it?

ADAM SCOTT: Be hard to say no. I'd probably take three 70s. I see it playing tougher the next few days.

Q. You played Winged Foot in 2006. How did today's round compare to that?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, look, I'm probably quite a different player than 2006, but like I said, I think the greens are fairly generous at the moment. You're not paying the ultimate price for being out of position just yet. So it was a very fair start. I remember it being a little spicier in 2006.