ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL

March 5, 2026

Adam Scott

Bay Hill Club and Lodge

Quick Quotes

Q. Solid opening round. How would you assess your round?

ADAM SCOTT: It's a great start here. Anything in the 60s I think generally is a good score around Bay Hill. Not everything was great. But I felt the putter was good, and for me at the moment I want to keep that feeling going, off the back of Riviera where it was good. It's nice to roll a few in here and save a few strokes where I was out of position. If I can find a little better rhythm tee to green for the rest of the week I think I can be in good shape.

Q. Solid round under your belt, knowing conditions are going to firm up. How is it nice to just kind of have a solid start?

ADAM SCOTT: I think in these tournaments, I mean it's a little bit like a mini U.S. Open playing Bay Hill. You can shoot your way out of it on the first round, because the score can get away from you. So if you're 5-over today, it's a long way back. Especially when there was a 9-under out there, which is hard to see. Staying in it the first couple days, with what we're used to seeing on the weekend here, anything can happen over the weekend. It gets very demanding on the greens here. Nice to not shoot my way out of it.

Q. How long have you had that conventional I think it's the black one, LAB putter whatever it is, and do you practice with that, and what does that do for you?

ADAM SCOTT: I've had that two days. They released it last week, and they gave me one just for the sake of giving me one. So I've never, I don't do anything much with it, sorry.

Q. When you went to your first Champions Dinner at the Masters as the champion, was it a little bit daunting at all, were you scared, not scared, but nervous or anything?

ADAM SCOTT: I think I was really only struck by the occasion when I was asked to speak in front of the room after Ben Crenshaw opened, had some opening remarks. And Fred Ridley, no, it wasn't, it was Billy Payne, sorry, had some things to say. And then it was over to me. Standing up and looking down at a 32-or so person table, and recognizing the faces of the greatest to have ever played, that was really a moment where I probably fumbled my way through that speech. Hard to know what to say, really, other than it's a great honor and privilege to be able to do it, and to be able to spend that evening with them all every year it's certainly a highlight of my year every year.

Q. Did you know you were to speak and have anything prepared or was it, it was adjust throw the mic at Adam?

ADAM SCOTT: I think I thought I can just get away with a couple of quick remarks. Since then I think guys have prepared more than I did (laughing). I don't know, I can't even remember what I said. You would have to ask someone else. They probably can't remember either. There have been some great ones. Hideki was fantastic, I think. D.J. was memorable. Tiger was memorable as well.

Q. I've never heard D.J. and memorable when it comes to speaking before.

ADAM SCOTT: It was the most you've ever heard him speak. I think the emotion of it was --

Q. Very heartfelt?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it was really touching, you know, for him, obviously, but for everyone else too. You don't really get a lot out of D.J., so to see some emotion was really fantastic.

Q. Obviously one of the things about it is you pick the menu, at least part of it. Is it true that you pay for the dinner?

ADAM SCOTT: Yup. Yup. And happily do it again next year if I can.

Q. Obviously you would, but is it, is the bill, would it be considered shocking or surprising, or is it what you would expect for something like that?

ADAM SCOTT: I think, given that it's 30-something people, I think it's what you would expect. Yeah, I personally don't, you know, throw those dinners all the time. But like I said, you're more than happy to. It is really an honor. I'll be happy to buy Jack Nicklaus a dinner on more than one occasion.

Q. Have you stayed on site in a cabin at all?

ADAM SCOTT: Just once. Just once for a social round of golf with a member, yeah.

Q. So, like it would have been, like not through the preparing for the Masters, it was just more for fun?

ADAM SCOTT: I think it was a few weeks prior to the Masters. It was a bit of a trip, yeah.

Q. Had you already won the Masters at that time?

ADAM SCOTT: No.

Q. Is it pretty cool to do that though?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah. Absolutely.

Q. I heard the experience is neat?

ADAM SCOTT: It's a great experience. Actually twice now. I have done it once after. I once went after the Masters in May, which was neat, because I've never kind of been off late in the season like that. So I have done it twice.

Q. When you did it before you won, did you do the full experience, like you dinner and you played 36 holes or whatever?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah.

Q. Par-3 course maybe.

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah. Did the whole lot. Yeah. It's fun. Super fun. Tiring, but fun.

Q. Do you remember which cabin you were in? Have you ever been in the Eisenhower cabin?

ADAM SCOTT: I think the first time it was the Eisenhower cabin, yes.

Q. Which is set up sort of still the way it was in some ways. Like he visited many times as president, so they set it up like a mini Whitehouse almost. Like the back of that thing is huge.

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's a big cabin. I think there's a lot of memorabilia in there from then. But I don't remember it looking like it's from the '40s or '50s or such. But I did, I think I did stay in that one the first time I did.