BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

August 19, 2026

Adam Scott

Bellerive Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Adam Scott into the interview room on a here at the BMW Championship. Adam, I know you'll appreciate me saying you're the only player in the field who played here at Bellerive at the 2008 BMW Championship and also the 2018 PGA Championship. So if we can get some comments on being back at Bellerive, and specifically what you remember about 2018 when you were in the final pairing with Brooks there on that Sunday.

ADAM SCOTT: It's amazing that that was 2018. Pretty fresh in my memory, really. Probably because I played well that week. So happy to be back. The course feels pretty familiar to me. Actually, I remember a few or quite a few of the good shots I hit that week. It was fun to be in the mix at a major championship. So try and carry those positive vibes in my mind into play this week and a lot for me to play for here as well going into trying to make the TOUR Championship next week.

THE MODERATOR: We'll go right into questions.

Q. How significant would playing next week be to you at this stage in your very ancient career, apparently.

ADAM SCOTT: Gosh, you're on fire today (smiling.) Yeah, look, it's one of those things that throughout my career making the TOUR Championship has always been important. It's always been a marker of your performance throughout the year. Certainly comes, for me now at this point in my career, the exemptions that that grants you are valuable. As I've found myself more often over the last few years, you know, trying to get myself qualified for everything. So that would be great going into next year, but also even just making it next week, the way that the tournament works, to win the TOUR Championship a second time would be really big at this point in my career.

Q. Someone with your experience here at Bellerive what do you see standing on the par-3 6th tee, and what's the challenges of that hole?

ADAM SCOTT: Well, the length is really the challenge. I mean, a long par-3 with water on the right, it's kind of probably a right-hander's nightmare. It might be tough for a left-hander as well. But hitting a long iron with water on the right, you have to be very accurate. And it probably is one of the smaller greens on the property too. So I think yesterday it was like 225 in practice, and one of the smaller greens. So there's a lot of demand, especially runoff kind of long left. It's not a great bailout when you can't go right. So it requires just to take aim and hit a great shot.

Q. You've maintained a really solid approach season at least statistically. What has been the keys or some of the stuff you've been working on with your swing to kind of keep that, you know, among the elite in the game?

ADAM SCOTT: I think I kind of started fiddling around with my equipment a couple years ago. I've played a fair few sets of irons, but I finally found a set of irons last year, about 12 months ago now, that I really liked. I think that consistency of kind of sticking to one thing was helpful, obviously. But I decided it was worth the risk to look around. So that's been really solid. You know, you've got to be careful when you start looking at technical things. I decided to look -- I would say I fixed a little bit of my left knee movement in the swing earlier in the year. I don't think about it as much now. I think that was my focus earlier in the year. I don't look at my swing very much during the season, but I think that theme has carried on. So I've been consistent in equipment and consistent in my theme of swing thought all year. I think that's what's really helped me improve my approach play.

Q. We saw that Si Woo was officially confirmed on the International Presidents Cup team, one of your top players. Just wondering what he's like in a team room and if you've seen him kind of grow in comfortability in those settings over the years?

ADAM SCOTT: For sure, yeah. I mean, he's had a great year. Incredibly consistent. The best player on our team this year. He's going to take like a leading role for sure at the Presidents Cup. I think this might be his fourth Presidents Cup. You know, he's a lot of fun. He's a bit of a character. I think everyone's seen some of that character come out in, whether it's social media or other clips online this year. He's a lot of fun. He likes to have fun. But as we've also seen in the Presidents Cup, he's a really tough competitor. He's not messing around out there. So I love having him in great form and being one of the leaders of the team.

Q. On that note with the irons, over the last year you've started experimenting it seems like with using a short putter and in competition a couple times. Is that something you're still fiddling around with, I know you practice with one, is that correct, and what prompted that?

ADAM SCOTT: I've always kind of messed around in practice with the short putter. I haven't used, I don't think I've used a short putter in competition this year. I did at the end of last year, but I've been putting well with the longer putter, especially the last couple weeks. It was a bit inconsistent earlier in the year and that's why I was fiddling around with the short one, just trying to ignite something on the greens, you know, just searching like we do when it's not going the way we want. But Memorial, stats-wise at Memorial and The Open Championship and last week, my putting was great. So I think I'm on the uptick there maybe at the right time of year.

Q. What are your goals the next couple of years for yourself personally and also would that include what's coming up at Medinah to get a win for the International team?

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think right now the Presidents Cup is the top of the list, really. It's one of those things that I don't know, two years out is hard to picture at this point. So this is, for me, is a big one. Obviously I'm looking to play well this week and kind of lock my place up on the team. And then look forward to Medinah and hopefully kind of break this streak that the Internationals have been on.

Then, outside of that, back to where we started before, getting myself into a great position next year where I'm kind of having the schedule on my own terms I think will be good for me starting the year, and I can plan accordingly, and probably do a little better job of scheduling myself to be ready for the big events. I mean, all events matter, and all events I would love to get back in the winner's circle, number one, but I would love to get into the winner's circle in some big events. But there's a process to do that, you know, just winning something would be great.

Q. There's been some discussion today with Rory and Scottie about whatever the potential future is for LIV Golf, you know, how do you reintegrate or do you try to reintegrate certain players, all the players, whatever? Where do you come down on how you see that maybe unfolding or what would you like to see as far as getting key guys back or anybody?

ADAM SCOTT: Well, I mean, it's firstly up to what happens on their side of things. Whether there's LIV going on, whether they're playing or not playing. And, you know, I think we have seen there is a pathway for guys. Brooks had an opportunity and Patrick Reed looks like he's going to take his opportunity through the DP World Tour. So I think there will be opportunities to reintegrate, if guys choose to not participate in LIV going forward.

Q. Should it be easy or not very easy?

ADAM SCOTT: I don't know what defines easy or not easy to you.

Q. Tougher than what Brooks faced with paying five million and, you know, not necessarily having a full status.

ADAM SCOTT: I think it needs to be fair. I mean, it's a complicated question to answer. The PGA TOUR needs to protect its own membership, but I think the PGA TOUR also knows that there needs to be pathways, so it will be fair.

Q. Go back to putting. If I said to you there's a lot of great ball strikers on the PGA TOUR, but there's not nearly as many great putters on the PGA TOUR, would you agree with that statement? And if you agree with that, why do you think that's true?

ADAM SCOTT: That there are great ball strikers on TOUR and not great putters?

Q. There's not as many great putters -- there's a lot of great ball strikers on the TOUR, but if you put together a list of the great putters, that's not nearly going to be a long, as long a list.

ADAM SCOTT: I'm not sure I agree with that.

Q. Okay. That's the question.

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah. I wouldn't, I'm not saying it's the opposite, but I don't see it lopsided like that.

Q. Rory was in here earlier, he mentioned some through lines that he's noticed between a lot of the recent venues chosen to host this championship. As someone who's had repeat success at the BMW would you agree with that, and do your successes, even in addition to 2018 at Castle Pines and, um, and Wilmington, would they give you additional confidence heading into this week?

ADAM SCOTT: I just missed the start. Rory saw?

Q. He saw, um, he noticed some through lines between a lot of the venues.

ADAM SCOTT: Through lines?

Q. As in common themes between some of the courses.

ADAM SCOTT: Oh, I see. For the BMW?

Q. Correct. Yeah.

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I guess, I guess there are. Even going back to Cog Hill. I mean, similar kind of things. Big golf courses, I guess. But, in fairness, I think BMW puts on great championships. It's a big build out, they feel like big, important events. So maybe they need a bit of that as well. Here's no different. Yeah, I mean, some of the courses suit me, but you still have to play good on the week. There's so many great players, we all figure out golf courses fairly quickly these days. But it is nice coming back to a course that you've played before and have some good experience on.

Q. We only get to host you guys here every eight to 10 years in St. Louis. What do you remember about the atmosphere in 2018, and just kind of how much you embrace how fired up this community and this crowd is going to be tomorrow and how it was.

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, good memories. Obviously playing late on Sunday was huge. Tiger really featuring any time in a tournament gets everyone fired up, even more so than just being here. So 2018 was a great memory for me, even though it didn't really work out exactly how I wanted, but a lot of good vibes.

Coming here, pulling in Monday, just seeing the build out got me excited for the week. It's a huge build out and made me realize this is really important to the community here. And seeing it's sold out and how many people are expected to be out here should be a fun week to play.

Q. As long as you've played and traveled the world, what is the one golf course you haven't played that you want to?

ADAM SCOTT: Oh, there are lots. There are lots. In the States I've wanted to play Sand Hills in Nebraska for the longest time and haven't played it. But there are a lot of others I haven't played in the States as well.

And probably Royal Dornoch in Scotland, they're kind of at the top of my list.

Q. What's keeping you?

ADAM SCOTT: Very busy. He very busy.

THE MODERATOR: Adam Scott, thank you, sir.

ADAM SCOTT: Thanks.