THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Adam Scott to the 2026 Cadillac Championship. Adam, the tour's become here for the first time since 2016, you happen to be the most recent winner at this course, what memories do you remember from then?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's not that recent, but it's great to be back here. What had opinion like a staple on the PGA TOUR for 50 years I think. Good memories for me. Obviously winning the last time we were here, but always enjoyed playing this golf course. It's a challenge. It's called the Blue Monster for a reason. It's a big golf course, very penal. The wind can blow, and that's the biggest challenge out here. So you've got to strike it well, just demanding tee to green. It's great that we're back, and looking forward to this week.
THE MODERATOR: What changes to the Blue Monster have you seen since we were here last?
ADAM SCOTT: I think there's a couple added tee boxes, but it's pretty much how I remember it. It was very newly renovated when we were last here, and it was in fantastic condition, and it seems to be in great shape again. It's quite nice, the greens are receptive at the moment, so the good shots are really rewarded. So I think it's going to be a good test this week. With a little wind blowing it's going to ask a lot of questions of everyone all week.
THE MODERATOR: Perfect. We'll go ahead and open it up to questions.
Q. You talked about how difficult this course is, can you speak specifically about the 18th hole and kind of what makes that so difficulty to green and what your approach is for that hole this week?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, it's just such a demanding driving hole. Obviously it's a long hole. So everyone's looking to move it down there as best they can. From memory, seems like the wind can be in off the left or at least off the left very often, which forces you to aim toward the water. The fairway is one of the more narrow fairways on the golf course, so there's not a lot of room as that ball starts moving on the left-to-right wind to hold the fairway. Just a very demanding tee shot. If you're in the fairway it's still a demanding second shot with the water left again, but once you're off the fairway it's really tough because angles are a problem, rough is a problem, trees are a problem. So it's a great closing hole for championship golf because it demands two great shots to have a kind of a regulation par. I quite like that, to be honest.
Q. A little bit off the beaten path, with regard to Scottie and Rory, who have kind of separated themselves with the runs they have been on, can you speak to the one thing about Scottie that impresses you the most and the one thing about Rory that impresses you the most?
ADAM SCOTT: There's a lot of things, so one is hard to --
Q. Just a couple. Even a couple things. Just the things that stand out for each to you.
ADAM SCOTT: Well, I played 18 holes at Augusta with Scottie before the Masters the other week, and even in the practice round I think his mental approach to not just the game, but a round of golf. It's like he picks the course apart. He's so good, so controlled with his shots that he can kind of pick the course apart. It's like how I imagine Nick Faldo played, but a modern version of that. And I mean that all in positive ways. I was watching him even practicing and chipping, where he chipped from, it's very strategic. It seemed like he had all his bases covered and can pick the course apart. I think when he plays well and from watching I think he didn't make a bogey the last two week ends he's played golf. It's just pretty good around those two courses to have 36 holes without a bogey. So it's his approach, it's so smart, really.
The best thing, I mean, there are so many great things about Rory. These guys are playing at such a high level. I think Rory tells us a lot more about himself and his golf and I think the fact that he's put himself out there, like to be vulnerable with his game over the last couple years, and he's spoke on that topic a little bit, I don't think he said it directly led to him winning the Masters last year, but putting himself out there and being prepared to fail a bit more, just generally putting himself out there is what impresses me about him. The way he's able to take his lumps, but he also gets some big highs as well, obviously, he's so talented, so the ceiling of his golf is really high. But I think that's gutsy to do that.
Q. There's been talk about the schedule it works both ways, the guys who are in the Signature Events have all these events between the Masters and PGA Championship. And then others where it may not be, there's not a lot there to play if you're not in the Signature Events, you got to do what you did and work your way into it. Does there have to be some kind of compromise, do you think this is sustainable?
ADAM SCOTT: Well this year is a little bit of an exception I think. This is an added event. Ideally this wouldn't be the way. It was a little bit, you know, it's one event we're talking about, so it makes that much of a difference adding one, it makes that much of a difference taking one away. I think we've got to get through this year and hopefully the schedule looks a little more balanced next year.
Q. Can you explain the difference a little bit because say the Valspar and Cognizant and all those that, the Arnold Palmer and THE PLAYERS used to be Bermuda grass. This is maybe the, well still Bermuda grass but with an overseed of ryegrass. Can you explain the difference of how much it impacts like for example the grain around the greens and on the greens?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I'm trying to think, I can't think, is Arnold Palmer overseed, did you say? It is? The whole thing? Well it's a big difference. I mean when it's a little friendlier when it's overseeded, a little less grain. There's a lot here this week. For me, I feel like I've had some success in Florida playing on the Bermuda. I think it amplifies the greens in regulation and the ball striking. There's a bigger reward for that because it starts getting hard to, I don't want to say scratch it around, but save all week if you're off it's hard, it's hard getting contact always off of a grainy lie. So you're always taking chances if you're missing greens and it rewards good golf. But we're all Bermuda this week. There's some grain for sure, about you it's in good shape. So I still am blown away by like the standard of short game that's out here as well. Guys get it up-and-down from everywhere. So maybe it's just me that feels like it's tough around the greens. But it certainly makes you think. You got to get out of your own head and just commit to a shot and hit it.
Q. Since the last time that you found so much success here at this course how do you feel that you have evolved as an athlete or just a player mentally in a positive way?
ADAM SCOTT: I think I've done a good job staying healthy and staying fitted and strong and relevant to the modern game. There's a big difference between being 35 and 45, I think. At 35 you are looking at like a Rory McIlroy-type age where you're still really in your prime. I still feel like I can play at a high level, but I'm looking to lift the ceiling a little bit and get in there and win again, maybe the good vibes here from 10 years ago will help me this week. But it is, it's more demanding. I think in the past 10 years as well the young players, the amount of young players that can compete has increased a lot. I don't know what that number is, but I would say more than doubled. The guys in their 20s are that much better, there are a lot more of 'em, so it's definitely getting tougher out here.
Q. With the evolution of your game or being older, will that play a factor in how you approach your game in this course?
ADAM SCOTT: No, I don't think so. I think it's really -- the biggest thing for me is leaning into my instinct and playing as much like a kid as I can. I think experience matters when it comes down to the end of the tournament, or if there are very unusual conditions during an event. But I feel like some of the knowledge and some of the information that we get, which is so much from so many areas now, is almost like holding me back from lifting the ceiling. It's like a safe space, playing within all this, with all this information, and I would like to kind of break free of that as much as I can and play with instinct and get myself into contention and then hopefully lean on that experience from there.
Q. This sort of falls along with the, your comments a second ago about being able to remain fit and hang in there and keep doing the things. You're very close to hitting a hundred straight majors. I know this came up before, maybe when you kept the streak alive by getting in the US Open a couple years ago. It looks like you're going to do it here. Curious what you make of that. I mean, to be able to do that for so long, only Jack has done that, he played way beyond that, but nobody else has gotten to a hundred in a row. Just curious what you think about the accomplishment of what it means, if any.
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, I don't know what to make of it. I mean, part of me doesn't want to be the guy yet who just has all these other things that aren't based around winning events (laughing). I would rather win some stuff, and let's celebrate winning the US Open than just playing in it. I feel like that, but, you know, I can give myself a pat on the back for hanging in there and playing all these events. I think there's some luck in it, but I think I've had generally great advice around me from a physical and training standpoint that's kept me healthy and pretty much injury free. I don't really have niggles and things that are concerning. Certainly not to the point of can I play this week or not. So, yeah, maybe -- I'm still, like my head's still really in, like I should be able to compete and win these things, so maybe I don't see it as much of an accomplishment. But I guess if you ask someone who is at two majors it seems like a long way away. I'll give myself a pat on the back, you but I would love to still win.
Q. Aside, I believe it was Pinehurst a couple years ago where it was a little touch and go, you had to get in as an alternate, but is there any other one that you can recall where it was dicey to get in, either due to an injury or maybe, you know, a family thing, a kid, one of your kids or something that might have kept you away, anything like that that came close to causing to miss one?
ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, 2008 US Open was close. I broke a bone in my hand, but I played. And it was okay, you know, I don't think it was dicey, but could have been worse, yeah. One close call.
Q. Justin was in here earlier talking a little bit about the Masters and having another close call of winning a second major. You kind of went through something similar last summer at the US Open. How hard was it to get over that and what did you learn from it.
ADAM SCOTT: In the end it wasn't that close for me, I kind of let it slip the last five holes to be like a really disappointing result, actually. I'm sure Justin was disappointed with his result a couple weeks ago, because he wanted to win too. But, like he was really close it felt like, again. If anything, it felt more off the back of that more like, no, that's the proof, I can put myself in this position still. So we've had a couple majors since then, I didn't play well at Portrush right after that, but I played fairly solid again. My game tee to green looks really solid. It's pretty obvious at the moment that my putting is kind of lagging behind. So if I can turn that around, which can happen quickly, I feel like I can put myself in a good spot this week and get the confidence up and head to the PGA full of confidence. At the PGA -- actually it was the PGA and the US Open last year, I was going nicely at the PGA until the last couple of holes as well. I was up in the top 5 and I think I had 4-over the last four. Which you hate to have happen, but they were hard holes, and I hit a couple bad shots and paid the price. So I think my game's in a better spot, but I'm still motivated to continue pushing, seeing Justin push and get so close is motivation for me as well. Our careers have been almost paralleling each other for 25 years, so I don't know which one of us is going to give up the ghost first, but for the moment we'll keep pushing.
Q. As we're on the verge of that next major what's your scouting report of Aronimink and is there anything from these next two weeks that you think you can work on for it?
ADAM SCOTT: I haven't been up there and I haven't been there since our last event, which was maybe 2018. I don't know, I haven't heard of drastic changes. I think it's a severe set of greens. I would think probably putting at Quail Hollow's not bad, they have got a fair bit of undulation. I think there's more undulation at Aronimink and I think that's really the defense of the golf course. I don't know how tight they're playing it, but it was incredibly soft when we were there last. So it feels a little bit like get your driver and your wedge game ready and if you have a good putting week, you're going to do well up there.
THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you, that's all the questions we have. Adam, as always, thank you for the time.
ADAM SCOTT: Thank you.
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