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HP BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

May 19, 2009

Adam Scott

IRVING, TEXAS

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome our defending champion Adam Scott into the interview room. You treated us all to a thrilling finish here last year. If we can just get you to look back on that tournament and then talk a little bit about your preparations for this week.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, obviously it was a big thrill to win this golf tournament last year. It is to win any tournament, but I think there are a few events on the PGA TOUR that have a name associated with the event, and to win the Byron Nelson Championship is a pretty big honor, one of the great champions the game has ever seen.
Yeah, and it was an exciting finish in the end. I had a pretty good lead going into Sunday, and it was a tough day, and I lost it. Ryan played really well and I played average. He caught me. But you know, sometimes things go your way, and certainly holing a 48-footer in a playoff is one of those things. Good time to make a big putt.
You know, it's one of those probably moments in my career I'll remember forever for sure, making a putt like that to win.
JOHN BUSH: Talk about your preparations as you try to defend this week.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, obviously I haven't been playing well the last few weeks. It was disappointing to miss the cut at the Masters and THE PLAYERS by just one shot because I didn't play all that badly, and I really felt like I needed to get some more rounds under my belt and missing the cut doesn't get that accomplished. So just practicing and working on all the stuff I've been trying to do with my golf swing in all areas of the game this year, so hopefully it all falls into place and I can put some good rounds together this week.

Q. When you struggle like you have, I know you've only played here twice, but you've had success both times you've played here, what does that do for you?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I'm pretty excited to play here this week. I feel like it's a course obviously I've played well both times I've been here. I'm just going back out there with some good memories. You know, I really don't feel like my game is that far away, but you know, I need to go out there and put some numbers on the board to show that.
Yeah, it's a good feeling to come back to a place you've played well at for sure.

Q. Have you had -- not to keep harping on your struggles, but have you had a stretch like this previously in your career, and if you have, what happened to snap you out of it?
ADAM SCOTT: I don't know. I mean, early days in Europe I missed a bunch of cuts in a row, I'm sure. You know, I mean, you just snap out of it. I mean, you miss cuts some weeks and then you win the following week. I've done that, as well.
Really I think it's just maybe that one round that will turn it around, a good, solid round where I play some solid golf, because that's what I haven't been doing. It hasn't been consistent. I can play good for nine holes or 14 holes, but then I'll hit a couple wild shots and get myself in a bit of trouble.
I think it's just one round away from being back on track again. I think the confidence will come with just that one round.

Q. Is there anything about this tournament that you feel like gives you an edge?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, I think, like we said before, I've been here twice, I've had two good results, so I should be pretty confident walking out there, even though my game isn't at its best. I think that's something I can definitely build on. I know how to score around this golf course. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Geoff Ogilvy at THE PLAYERS said that he thought your little slump was -- ball-striking is down a little bit.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's not good. It hasn't been as good as it normally is.

Q. And then maybe as a result a little confidence, too.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, for sure.

Q. Can you address those, and do you agree with his --
ADAM SCOTT: I do, absolutely. I played a practice round with Geoff there and he got to see me hit a couple of my bad shots. I'm sure he was shaking his head. I don't know which one came first, the confidence or the bad ball-striking.
You know, yeah, it hasn't been as good or as consistent as it was, and that's why I hit four drives around out to the right, and it gets me in a lot of trouble. I'm trying to eliminate that.
I spent two days working with Butch on the weekend at THE PLAYERS, and then obviously the work I did last week, I think that's why I was hitting it to the right. My club face was too open at the top sometimes, and I left it that way. So hopefully we got that squared away.

Q. What did you do last week?
ADAM SCOTT: I just practiced.

Q. Did you go to Vegas?
ADAM SCOTT: No, I was back home in Europe.

Q. Last year after the Masters you went home and you only stayed there a week. You were playing so well, you said you wanted to get back out here. Talk about the difference this year, the difference, the feel. Last year you couldn't wait to get back here. Do you still have the same feeling?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I need to play more rounds of golf at the moment. I really don't think it's -- I've struggled for the last few events since I've tried to make these few changes. But yeah, I need to get out here and get some rounds under my belt, especially looking to get to the U.S. Open with my game in pretty good shape and some confidence. I need to play a lot more golf than I have. Missing the cut you don't get to play too much golf.

Q. Talk a little bit about the course compared to last year. It was earlier, now later, and the changes they've made. Can you see anything that looks much different?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, I haven't been on it yet. I'm going out this afternoon. But obviously I think the grass is going to be a big difference. It's going to be Bermuda now, whereas last year it was earlier and it was that rye overseed. I think that'll probably make a big difference to how the course plays.
The weather looks good, so if it's firm, it could be pretty fiery.

Q. Do you keep an eye on how other players are playing at the moment, or do you just concentrate on your game alone?
ADAM SCOTT: No, I'm just trying to figure my own stuff out. I haven't really seen who's doing what. I've played with Sean O'Hair twice this year, and both times he looked great. I wasn't surprised to see him win at Wachovia at all.

Q. As far as having the Bermuda fairways, Bermuda rough, what does that bring to the table this year that you didn't face last year with the rye in terms of strategizing?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, potentially if it's firm, it's going to play a lot faster than that rye overseed. I mean, Bermuda is conducive to these fliers into the greens. I don't know how long the rough is, but it definitely can play firmer and faster. But I think it will play a little easier around the greens with Bermuda.
Last year -- it's kind of a sticky grass, that overseed, and it was hard to run your shots up because there's quite a lot of runoffs on the newly designed greens and you couldn't really bump it into the hill because it would stick in the grass. So I think this year you'll have that option, which -- I think the course will play better as Bermuda anyway, because they intended that to be that way.

Q. How much do you attribute your struggles to your knee? Did that affect your swing much?
ADAM SCOTT: I don't think so. I really can't identify my knee as affecting my golf swing. I think I just got into some bad habits that I'm having a hard time getting out of. I don't think it was compensating. I think my swing got off plane a little bit.

Q. No pain with the knee at all?
ADAM SCOTT: No.

Q. How do you get it to translate -- like you said, just that one round?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, and I was really close at THE PLAYERS. I felt it was really close, and that's why I was grinding so hard to try and make the cut, even though it was hard. What I shot was pretty good considering some of the positions I hit myself in. But I just felt like, you know, if I can get that next round, I might put it all together, and I didn't get that chance.
This week I'm looking forward to getting off to a faster start and getting myself in the mix again, and that's what I think I need to do.

Q. That eagle chip-in didn't carry over at all?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, because the shot that got me up next to the green was definitely the best shot I've hit in about two months. It was a really great 3-wood, so I'm pretty excited about that, so hopefully a few more swings like that.

Q. Ogilvy alluded to your wonderful short-term memory. In other words, where you forget about a missed cut or poor play. He said you've won after missing a cut, something you just talked about a minute ago. Is that a conscious thing? Do you agree with him that you're pretty good at shoving aside little hiccups?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think so. I mean, whether it's a big deal or something small like a missed cut, sometimes you can play good and miss the cut out here. It just doesn't happen for you. You can't let that get you down. I definitely feel like, okay, I've put in enough work out. I should be able to get out there and play my normal game again. I kind of feel like that, as well. I feel like all the practice I've been doing is good, and it feels normal. I should just walk out here and play my kind of golf.
JOHN BUSH: Adam, good luck this week as you go for No. 2.

End of FastScripts

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