THE MODERATOR: Welcome back to the interview area. Please join me in welcoming Adam Scott. Just a few opening thoughts on Shinnecock.
ADAM SCOTT: I love Shinnecock. I've played here a fair amount socially over the years. This is my third U.S. Open here. I haven't played well in either U.S. Open, which is really disappointing to me, but hoping to change that this week.
I still love the golf course. I think it's as good as any test we have at the U.S. Open.
THE MODERATOR: A big milestone for you this week. Just speak a little bit about the number of consecutive majors.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's an interesting one, as I've thought about it over the last couple of weeks, obviously this week getting closer. I found it difficult at first reflecting on something while I'm still playing. I think I've never really been one to dwell on milestones. I think it's something I'll probably do at the end of my career.
However, it's resonated a little bit more with me the last few days, and from people close to me, to my sponsors and partners, I'm so appreciative of everyone recognizing this. It's a strange one because it's not something you really set out to do or aim for.
But in all honesty, since Pinehurst a couple years ago, it kind of was on my radar. Earlier this year, as I wasn't automatically qualified for this event, it became a bit of a weight on my shoulders making sure I got here.
It's been fun. I had a photograph with Jack Nicklaus a couple of weeks ago at his Memorial Tournament, and he's the other guy who made it to a hundred in a row. He, in fact, made it way past that, and I can't even think about playing another 11 or 12 years straight of these, but I'm really excited for this week.
Q. What do you think the key to that longevity is for this incredible streak?
ADAM SCOTT: I would say probably overall a certain level of focus has been required over the 25 years to maintain, I'll call it golf at this elite level, major championship level. It has taken a lot of focus to do that.
I think there are lots of little things you could break down after that, but I'm quite proud that I've managed to keep my focus this long and keep pushing through. Obviously not all years and all weeks out here are easy, and you're playing full of confidence, manage to keep it all together for a long time.
Q. Is there any lesson, Adam, that you wish your younger self would have known?
ADAM SCOTT: There are probably lots. I think the younger self knew a lot of things. I mean, there must have been some level of determination setting out and all positive attributes towards playing golf at a high level. But I don't know if my younger self thought I'd still be playing actually at this point.
But I love playing golf at this level, and it's really all I know how to do. So I'm going to keep trying to do my best for as long as I possibly can.
Q. When you're preparing for a week like this, do you start with a blank slate in terms of the course and what it's going to demand, or is there anything from '04 or '18 that you kind of bring with you to help with your prep?
ADAM SCOTT: I feel I came up straight here from Ohio and played from last Thursday. I've played four practice rounds, and I came with a blank slate. It's funny how when you play poorly at an event, you can forget about what went on, and I really don't remember much of '18 from a playing perspective.
Came here excited on Thursday and really felt like I had a fresh look at the golf course and a fresh take and felt comfortable straight away. I think the green complexes aren't dissimilar to playing into Royal Melbourne style greens. At least that's what I'm telling myself, and that's a comfortable place for me.
I'm looking at it with a fresh set of eyes this week and feel like I'm much more prepared at this point than I was at the last two here.
Q. If you could give advice to young golfers, what would it be?
ADAM SCOTT: Young golfers, I think they need to -- I watch my kids play a little bit, and I think if they can enjoy chipping and putting, then golf becomes really easy for young kids. Of course hitting the ball is hard, and everyone likes to hit it far, but I've watched my kids enjoy chipping and putting, and I think it's easier for kids to hit -- play on a shorter golf course or hit shorter shots and just have fun that way. I think it's more enjoyable.
Q. As someone who's played a lot of majors in a couple different eras now, would a rollback on the golf ball or the driver head be more effective for the men's elite game, in your opinion?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, look, this is a popular discussion at the moment. I think multiple factors need to be addressed to have the desired outcome. I think just blanketing it with the ball or a driver head or something else isn't going to get the outcome we desire.
It may have an effect, but it's not necessarily how I believe the game should be played at the highest level.
Q. I'm not suggesting the USGA is trying to protect par here, but for many years the standard of an Open has always been 280, right around even par. Given the level of play over the years and particularly now, what would be an example of a good winning score for a U.S. Open, barring hurricanes or anything else that really gets outrageous?
ADAM SCOTT: Generally, I think it's hard to set a golf course up fairly, and par would be the winning score today. Maybe there are a few courses that that can happen at.
Here the wind is the biggest factor. It's a bit more like an Open Championship. So I think that's to the USGA's advantage. That's to their advantage this week because they can have the wind determine a score, and it's not really on them and their setup.
Generally, I would say for a very hard golf course 5- to 10-under is a really good test of golf at the hardest level. That's probably how I would judge. I would think with the standard today the best player out there is going to be par.
Q. And difficulty, is this as difficult a U.S. Open course as there is? How does it stand differently from, say, Oakmont or Pebble when it's windy?
ADAM SCOTT: Yes, it's a difficult course. I think the wind makes the challenge here, whereas Oakmont the course is just the challenge. It doesn't matter if it's windy or not.
I think the beauty of this course is obviously around the greens and the options and the situations you'll find yourself in that you really don't plan to be in and how you manage that and compose yourself to get it around the course and get it in the house.
I really like this golf course a lot. I know they have wide fairways, and they think you create angles having to hit it down the right half of the fairway, but to be honest, I just take the middle of the fairway, because if it gets near any rough on the side, it's not going to be good.
So I don't know if we're playing angles off the tee, but certainly to hit the green, you're going to need to be in the fairway.
Q. The setup came under scrutiny in both of the last two U.S. Opens that you played here. Can you describe why it's such a fine line in setting this golf course up that both challenges the best players in the world while remaining playable? And do you have any concerns about the setup this week?
ADAM SCOTT: It seemed for a while that -- I don't know whether it was a concern with the winning score or par was the goal, but a little bit what I talked about before, to achieve that at some courses, if that was the goal, you're on a knife's edge. So if the weather turned, which is very hard to predict, it becomes unplayable in certain spots.
I think we've seen the setups get away from that more recently. I'm really not concerned. I feel like we went to maybe the hardest venue last year at Oakmont, and it is incredibly difficult, but I thought the setup was correct.
Then this setup seems not contrived at all. I mean, the rough is thick. I don't know if it's thicker than the members play. I hope it is because that would be tough for the members.
But it seems like we're just coming in, they've grown the rough a little bit, and we're heading out to play. The greens are fairly -- it looks like they're being cautious at the moment. They know the wind is going to be a factor this week.
Hopefully we can get the greens to firm up over the weekend, and we'll see some of the greatness of Shinnecock where the shots in are so important to hit these small areas, and then you'll get a great champion.
Q. As players age, they tend to circle the more difficult, firmer courses as places where they think they can contend. Tiger's talked about that. Padraig's talked about that. I was curious if that's a theory that you subscribe to, and if so, why that might be?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, for sure. The first thing I would say is length. The firmer running courses generally take the length advantage out of it because the shorter hitter will get some length, and the longer hitters kind of have to play back. I think The Open Championship is the most open, where anyone in the field could potentially win.
I think some experience comes with that theory, as well. Once the ball is moving on the ground, having great control of the golf ball and strategizing around a golf course becomes a big part of that. I think guys like Tiger obviously, but Padraig as well, just are so experienced and understand how to work their way around a golf course is really helpful. And, of course, they're major champions, multiple major champions, and they know how to do it under pressure, as well.
They're the kind of things -- although I'm not a multiple major champion, but at this point, when it comes down to being in contention, hopefully the strategy and experience I can use to my advantage.
Q. I remember you talking about the second shot on the 2nd at Augusta being a unique challenge there. Is there a shot that comes to mind here that's both unique and maybe a shot you spend extra time on in practice?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I think there are quite a lot of shots here. I don't know if it's the most iconic shot, but the second shot into 10, I think is fascinating, and it's mostly a wedge. It's not often that we get scared with a wedge.
The 15th at Augusta has turned into one of those if you lay up. But the 10th here, and then right again the 11th here, I think it's fascinating. We've got a short hole, a short par-3, and you're really scared on the tee, and you've got a 9-iron maybe.
So we play so many 220-yard par-3s over water. I think the fact that a 150-yard hole scares us is brilliant.
Q. As it relates to the streak, before you kind of clinched that really at Doral, did you ask for an exemption?
ADAM SCOTT: No.
Q. Apropos of conditions and setup and things of that sort, are there any equipment changes that you've had to make for this week for green speed or angles that you're going to have to take?
ADAM SCOTT: I've put my 3-iron in the bag this week. Sometimes I have a 9-wood in the bag. I'm not afraid to admit I use a 9-wood, but I don't think it's going to be as effective this week certainly with the wind.
I think there's a few iron shots off tees and just controlling that flight in the wind a little bit more with the 3-iron, I think, will be helpful.
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