Q. You've been playing well, obviously runner-up at Scottish Open, played well at The Open and last week, too. Did it feel like a round like this was building?
ADAM SCOTT: I hoped maybe. Like yesterday I felt really good on the course tee to green, and today leaving the range, just not quite in rhythm. I think it's quite a hard range to actually get a good feeling for how you're hitting it because the driver comes out and it's like running along the ground, hitting straight up the mountain. It's a funny feeling.
But I settled down out there, and then a couple putts went in, and I could kind of find my rhythm a little bit.
But it's a great round. I think I took advantage of good conditions this morning and hopefully set myself up to have a real run at this thing on Sunday now.
Q. You spend some time in Switzerland in the off-season. Is that how to how it is here?
ADAM SCOTT: It's similar. We live about four and a half thousand feet. But to be honest, I don't spend a lot of time grooving my numbers up there.
Everyone kind of has all their tools to figure out how far it's going. It's not surprising if you get one that goes a little further than you think out here, but it was amazing, like two holes in, by 8:30 the ball was flying long. It was flying a little shorter as I was warming up, but then by 8:30 the ball was cruising again. Yeah, it was a really solid round. Happy, obviously.
Q. You mentioned yesterday playing with a little more freedom after making it to this point. Was that what we saw today with this round?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah. Your mindset changes so much. Leaving the range, I just kind of wanted to keep moving in the right direction, grind out and shoot under par and keep going that way. Then by the middle of the round I was thinking of how many birdies can I make. It's funny how that happens.
But I do, I feel like I really don't have anything to lose this week. I can't go out of the top 50. I'm going to have a good schedule in the Signature Events next year. Of course I'd love to make it to East Lake, but now I'd love to win this event.
Q. What was your favorite birdie today, and what was the most challenging part where maybe you saved a par or had a good recovery?
ADAM SCOTT: I made a nice up-and-down on the 4th. I hit it into a pretty average spot off the tee but flopped one up there and made a putt. That was nice.
I think the 6-iron into 16 was my best shot of the day. It was a good number for me, but I hit a really nice shot. That's one of the ones that came out pretty much how you drew it up in your head. That was a nice way to close out the round.
Q. Did you see a 63 out there before today?
ADAM SCOTT: Actually I kind of did in the practice rounds. I thought everyone would be going low, and then it played a bit tougher yesterday. I think when you actually have to count your score out of the rough in the tournament, you see how thick the rough is.
But there's plenty of room off the tee. The fairways are wide and the greens are receiving. After the rain yesterday, they're a bit softer. You can definitely attack. If you're on, guys should be going at pins.
Q. You were pretty pleased with how far the ball was going yesterday and your putting. You seem to be in a good place.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, like I said, it's a big deal for anybody to make it through to the top 50 on TOUR, and I think that was a relief last week. I have to say playing the last -- the back nine last week was quite stressful. I knew I was a shot here or there from being in or out, and getting through that was good.
I felt like I've been kind of a bubble boy all year for things, and now it doesn't really matter. It's more about getting out there and playing.
My game is in a good place, and that freedom is helpful.
Q. You changed irons a couple times this summer. Has it been an uncomfortable spot for you or just trying to match whatever course you're playing?
ADAM SCOTT: Just trying to match the course. When you're a bit unsure or unsettled with what you want to do out there but you feel like you've got something good, the only way to know is to put it in play, and I certainly haven't been afraid to do that. I've used about four different sets of irons this year, and I think I'm finding what is best for me. That's for sure. Unsurprisingly, it's pretty much what I used to use my whole career.
It was all with good intention of getting better, but I think I'm in a good place. At this point, my swing DNA and my equipment is kind of part of me, and I don't think I can move too far away from that.
Q. You talked about playing here all these years ago. Do you recall the circumstances? Were you fully exempt that year?
ADAM SCOTT: No, it was an invite. It was my first-ever invite to the PGA TOUR. Obviously it was The International tournament and they gave a lot of invites to foreign players. I was lucky enough to get one. I had only been a pro about a month, I think.
Q. So you had never played in a PGA TOUR event to that point?
ADAM SCOTT: No.
Q. This was the first one?
ADAM SCOTT: I believe so, yeah.
Q. What did the Scottish do for your confidence?
ADAM SCOTT: Scottish was great. I think just playing in contention that last day really and playing well, especially down the stretch, felt good that I had some kind of memory of how to do that. I've done it a fair bit over the years, but it's been a little while since I was really in contention, and feeling comfortable in that position was what I took out of that, and the reminder that somewhere down the stretch to win a tournament you've got to hole a putt. Bob did and I didn't. That's how it went. But the confidence of playing in contention well was great, and I was hoping to be able to use that the next week. But not close enough.
Q. You've played well most of the year. What's been the turning point with the putting for you?
ADAM SCOTT: With putting? I putt well all the time. I don't ever putt bad, actually. It's really my iron play has been atrocious for two years, and that's why I've been moving stuff around, because I figured if I leave it the same, I'll keep getting atrocious.
But before the Scottish, we managed to really, like, sort my irons out, in what I'm using to shaft to grip to lofts to lie angles and club, the whole thing, complete working over, and as soon as we did that, it started feeling better.
Q. What does that mean exactly? You feel like you don't strike it very well? It doesn't sound good?
ADAM SCOTT: It felt like good swings came out not how they should, and there were just a few inconsistencies throughout the set. I tried some stuff. I changed ball a couple times and therefore I changed the shaft to try and match the ball. It just got a little out of sorts, and we kind of cleaned that back up.
Q. Given that you said that you felt a little freed up, given you can't fall out of the top 50, do you feel like you played more aggressive today, or yesterday and today, because of that out here?
ADAM SCOTT: No, I didn't think I played aggressive, because like I said, I was going to the course not feeling like I was on today. It's probably something to think about, as well. I played within myself. I picked fairly conservative targets. But it was a good day to be aggressive when you had the right number, like on 16. There were a couple other holes where I had wedges or shorter clubs where I brought it in close because the greens were soft and receiving.
I didn't play overly aggressive, but I think I executed well, and I putted very well today.
Q. What's the key to bottling this momentum into the weekend?
ADAM SCOTT: I think probably like what I just said. I'm playing well enough even if it doesn't feel amazing. I can play fairly conservative and pick my moments, and if I keep putting well, that helps a lot. Putting a little better than average goes a long way out here.
Q. Over the last couple years did it feel like you had to play more perfectly to feel like you were contending to where now you feel like you can play more average and still be up there?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, the thing is I played 15 good holes a lot the last couple years and three terrible holes, and it's really hard to recover from doubles and mistakes. A lot of water balls, I would say. At the highest level, it's really hard to do that if you do that every round. Just a top 10 was a really good week because there were just way too many errors, and I feel like that's been tightening up this year and definitely been better the last couple months.
Q. At your level, how big of an adjustment is it going from cavity back to blade?
ADAM SCOTT: It's pretty big. I've basically used a blade my whole life, but I kind of felt like watching this new generation, a lot of them play cavities, and it's probably the future. It seems more forgiving. I think it is more forgiving. But it's just not, like, what I'm used to. I thought it was worth having a go. I didn't play terrible when I did that. There was some good stuff in there, too.
But I think when it comes down to it, under the most pressure, I feel most comfortable with kind of that blade. I'll use that as long as I can.
Q. Yesterday a six-shot lead did not feel comfortable. You have a five-shot lead right now --
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, not comfortable yet. We'll see after tomorrow.
Q. There have only been a couple guys in the 40s win this season. Why do you think that is?
ADAM SCOTT: I think it's hard to get a lot better in your 40s, and there are a lot of 20-year olds getting better. I just think there are probably a lot of 40 plus guys dropping off the TOUR. There are a lot of mid 20s coming on the TOUR taking their place. Whether it's just life or whether it's physical at this age or mental, it's hard to keep pace with what the younger guys are doing, from hitting the ball at a speed that's competitive to practicing enough to having the motivation and the drive to do it. I think it's harder for the older guys.
Q. When you have a round like this going, do you take a moment to kind of realize you have a chance to go low? Does it ever hit you or do you just keep going?
ADAM SCOTT: Today I was just kind of keeping going. When I got to 7, I was like, this is a good round now. Then on the last, I kind of wanted to really aim right at the pin and hit a 9-iron in there close. 10-under sounded like it had a nice ring to it. But the old wise head on the shoulders said aim a little bit left and see if you can hole a long putt. It's fun to shoot a low round. It's been a long time. I can't remember the last time I shot a 63 out here.
But it feels good to go low, that I've still got that in me. Hopefully there's one more this week.
Q. Do you feel like you're in your 40s? Do you feel like the old guy out here?
ADAM SCOTT: Yep. Most guys remind me every day.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports