THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 10, 2026

Adam Scott

TPC Sawgrass

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Adam Scott to the interview room here at the 2026 PLAYERS Championship, 14-time PGA TOUR winner. One of those 14 was the 2004 PLAYERS Championship. That was a long time ago. This is your 24th appearance here. It's the most of any player in the field.

I guess first question would be what's it like coming back every year having had success here and seeing the progress of this tournament?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I love it. Coming back here, obviously a very special place early in my career to have a big win like that. It is a lot of years ago, and lots of things have changed here. But it's fun to be part of that evolution and hanging in there. Hopefully going to give myself a chance at another run at the title this week is the main goal.

But all special memories, and actually over the last few years I've happened to spend a little bit more time around TPC Sawgrass with my family, staying on some weeks off after the event in the lead up. So it's been nice to get to know the staff at the club and hang out a little more casually than during the tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Are you feeling pretty confident coming in here having had a top-5 finish at the Genesis Invitational? Are you happy with your form coming in here?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, my form is improved in the last few weeks. I really put that down to some better putting this year, certainly at Riviera and Bay Hill, which are good places to putt well. Everywhere is.

But it feels like it's been the thing holding me back really for 12 to 18 months. I feel like my game's been there or thereabouts but I've gotten nothing out of it, and when a few putts go in, all of a sudden everything else can free up a little bit, the pressure's off, and the scores come down. So I've enjoyed the last couple of events, and hopefully carry that form into this week and beyond.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take some questions for Adam.

Q. There's been a huge increase in your ball speed; you're averaging around 184 miles per hour off the tee, up four miles per hour from last season. Talk a little bit about what kind of training went into that, and what are you looking for when you have driver in your hand.

ADAM SCOTT: It wasn't really any specific training change to gain the ball speed. The best I've got for you is I actually took a degree off my driver after the Sony Open. So I dropped it from like 10 something to 9 something. And that definitely increased the ball speed. I wasn't really looking for distance, but I was looking to take some spin off the driver because it was spinning quite a lot.

The speed's picked up, and it's been going fairly straight. Could have been better last week, but it's still going fairly straight, so that's been a fun little perk this year of kind of keeping some speed at this point in my career. You know, hopefully that lasts.

It is helpful, certainly, when you think of some of the golf courses. Maybe not this one so much; it's not such a bomber's paradise. But when you're playing courses like Torrey Pines and then obviously we've got Augusta coming up soon, having that driver working well is a good thing.

Q. Any time anybody does a list of the best looking swings in golf, you're always near the top. A lot of new players on TOUR; who do you look at that you think has the prettiest or best looking swings, men or women, out there these days?

ADAM SCOTT: There are some nice-looking swings out there. This is a dangerous one, but Ras Højgaard, I like his action. It's tough when he's a twin and I'm picking one and not the other (laughing). That's pretty.

I mean, look, there are a lot of great swings out there. Nelly Korda, you know, I like her swing as well. Yeah, the modern swing's a little different than like the swings I grew up idolizing. I think the game's played slightly different. But I like swings with flow and a certain rhythm about them, and a lot have it. I like Rory's swing a lot as well.

Q. You mentioned you've been spending a lot more time around here with your family, and I'm wondering when you think back to your win here in 2004 if there's a certain memory that pops out that you tell your kids about or what comes to mind most when you think back to that week.

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I have funny stories from that week. Actually my wife and I were dating at that point, all those years ago. She was here with me. I've told this before, but we had dinner on Thursday night after the first round somewhere across the street there in the shopping complex, and we were sitting at the bar eating and overheard the guys next to us, and he said, who is leading this tournament? And the guy looked at him and said some expletive no-name (laughing). And it was me. I shot 65 on Thursday. My wife, or girlfriend at the time, was ready to kind of jump in there and let him have it, (laughing) but I held her back. But it was pretty funny. So it was good to go on and win and maybe get out of the no-name category.

Q. I really hate to follow that with a golf question, but this apparently is one of the courses where your strokes gained off the tee is lower than other courses. It just made me wonder if you had a certain strategy when you came here. Do you try and get more aggressive to set up an easy second? Do you lay back off the tee? Do you have any particular way of approaching it?

ADAM SCOTT: It seems to me like the kind of course where it really tells you where to go off the tee, and it just depends what kind of length player you are as to what club you hit. There are a lot of fairways that kind of run out or pinch in, and well, my experience is when you challenge those ones too much, you pay the price ultimately, certainly if it's not raining and getting soft.

You need to be in play off the tee. So that's a high priority this week. But these great courses -- this is a great tournament venue. There are challenges the whole way around. Once you're in the fairway, it's no picnic either; you've got to manage yourself into the greens well. Ball striking is a premium.

But I think the way the game's evolved, this is really a course where it's wide open for anyone to challenge. A little bit how I see The Open Championship as well; it doesn't necessarily favor a bomber of the golf ball or anyone in particular. It's whoever is playing well is going to be up there.

Q. If you had to describe the test of this course in one word? Geoff once used the word annoying. I was looking for something a little different.

ADAM SCOTT: Is that Ogilvy Geoff?

Q. Of course.

ADAM SCOTT: Shock me. (Laughing.) I think it's exciting, honestly, just to be completely different than Geoff. I grew up watching this, seeing a lot of birdies and a lot of dramatic stuff happening. I think that's exciting, and I think that's why people like watching this tournament. It's like, you go out there with the dream that you can shoot 10-under somehow and spin balls back off slopes, and it's not that easy once you're out there. So I think it's exciting.

Q. Justin Rose was in here. You guys are the same age. He's pretty famous for this pre-round routine he has of RV, bus, whatever. Wondering if you have anything similar kind of pre-round round process to keep up with these young guys?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I mean, I have my routine. I think everyone -- I don't know many guys winging it out here anymore. So you kind of got to find what works for you and stick with it and try and ride that out as long as you can while it's working. But I kind of have a three-hour rule where I've got to be awake at least three hours before my tee time. I know that sounds funny, but when you're off at 7:20 early mornings and get up and get moving and be alert on the first tee, so it kind of starts three hours before, and I get moving and make sure the body's warm and go about my warm-up, you know, an hour or so before, and get out there.

Q. Brian is going to talk about this tomorrow, but the evolution of this new schedule for the PGA TOUR that you're part of as a future competitions committee member, have you had a conversation with a fellow TOUR member to explain to them why this is beneficial, and if so, what did you say?

ADAM SCOTT: Not directly as you asked, but I think most of us have kind of talked to other members of the TOUR, just to kind of gauge their feelings on things. But we don't have a direct position at the moment to really put out there, if you know what I mean. I can't be specific because we don't have the specifics.

So I think generally most understand that some changes are going to have to happen going forward. From my seat and my perspective, I don't think guys should be too concerned about that. I think the PGA TOUR is in a strong position and it's going to be in a stronger position going forward.

Q. So why do you think the TOUR needs to become stronger than it is, and how do you think it gets there?

ADAM SCOTT: I think it's just a matter of if you're sitting still, you're going backwards, when you step outside the game of golf. I don't think there's anything drastically wrong with the PGA TOUR because I would think it's the strongest professional golf tour in the world.

But it can't sit still. I think Brian and his team are now challenged with the task of looking years into the future of how it needs to look to continue to be the strongest tour in the world. That's where their expertise lies, and I'm confident in his ability to guide the TOUR into the future.

Q. Just to follow-up, since you're on the policy board, when the TOUR did the deal with the European Tour, it was actually to prop it up, to keep it at least going in the right direction. Depending upon how you look at it, that deal will expire relatively soon. Do you see the need to keep that TOUR going as part of the need to do the things you want to do on the PGA TOUR side?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think just generally, business aside -- I mean that's not my strong suit, but I think the partnership between the PGA TOUR and the DP World Tour is important for the professional game going forward. So I think it's being handled with the appropriate care.

It's still 18 months away, I think, from expiring, but you know, as I've learned over the last few years, some of these deals and relationships take that long to sort out, so you know, they're on to it and hopefully it lands in a good spot going forward for both tours, which I'm a member of both.

THE MODERATOR: All right, thanks Adam. Good luck this week.

ADAM SCOTT: Thanks.