// s c o t t O N L i N E || #1 source for everything Adam Scott

2004 AUSTRALIAN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

1/12/04

COOLUM, QUEENSLAND

What on earth possessed you to get your hair cut so short? Is this the new look?
The new me? No, I'd just had enough of the long hair. It is too much hard work. This is pretty low maintenance. I don't have to carry around gel or any of that stuff.

We spoke to Greg yesterday about his non-attendance at the Australian Open last week. It is your turn now. You played in the Skins Game in the United States and won $US50,000. Did you feel it was the right decision at the time?
Yes, I did. I thought it was the right decision and I ummed and aahed about it for a long time. I spoke to as many people as I could because I wasn't sure. I decided to go play the Skins and now that I did that, I am very happy that I did it. I think it was very worthwhile for me and much as I don't like missing the Australian Open, it was beneficial for me this year to go and play the Skins Game.

Tell us why it was beneficial.
I created a little bit of a profile this year in the States and on the US Tour and it was important for me to keep that going for a lot of reasons. The Skins Game was one of them. It is one of the highest watched golfing events of the year. I felt I had some obligations to my sponsors to do that and also to help my own profile over there and keeping everything moving upward for me.

Did the sponsors put the hard word on you to play?
No, definitely not. Obviously they were very pleased that I did go and play but there was no word at all, in fact, from them.

Will you play in the Australian Open next year?
My intention is to play the Australian Open. I haven't got a date. I was thrilled and honoured to get an invite to the Skins but if they were to invite me back and it conflicted with the Australian Open next year, I?d pass that up and play the Australian Open.

You?ve had a terrific year with two wins and you have stepped up another level. Is it time to start talking about majors?
I have a few months before I have to think about it. I've spent a lot of time with Butch lately talking about how we are going to tackle the majors next year. There is no one way to do it. We've looked at several different ways and he thinks that is what we should be focusing on, the majors and the World Golf events and a couple of other big events that run through the year. It kind of is the next step, I guess. Now I've won a big event on the US Tour, got up to the top 10, I think really the next step is a major.

When you look at the top 10, and there are some amazing names there, are your surprised as one so young to be there?
Definitely. I'm a long way from the top three. I'm not so far from fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. This year coming I'd like to sneak up to around fifth. I'm not going to limit myself but the three guys are a long way out in front of the rest of us. There is a clear gap. I'd like to close that gap a little bit, keep moving forward. I see my game getting to a level where I can compare it to the rest of the guys in the top 10.

Greg Norman said yesterday that he thought your game had improved again over the past 12 months. Do you see it?
I certainly see different parts of my game have improved. My putting, for one, has been pretty good all this year. There were only a couple of week I can think of when I struggled. My short game has improved and I feel that in the last couple of weeks, the extra bit of work I have done on my swing has helped get me back to where I like the club in the grip position. There is no question that I've improved in most areas. I think winning TPC was probably the biggest factor in all of that, just from the confidence side of things. Once you've got a bit of confidence running, you are going to be dangerous. I think that's what happened after TPC.

You could have very easily lost the TPC. Being able to hold it together and come back with that great shot?
Yes, it could have been really ugly. It really could have turned out pretty bad and it could have been very difficult to get over that. One thing I always said to myself watching tournaments when I was finished or not even in them and seeing guys in that position, I felt that if I ever got there, I would not let myself lose the tournament. I started to do that at TPC. The one good thing that I took out of that moment was that my frame of mind was very positive. I turned to my caddie walking up there and said it was just a chip and a putt. At the start of the week, if I was offered that, I would have taken it. I'd done everything well that week except that shot.

I think it improved you as a player because it showed you could come back from a setback.
There is no doubt that it was the biggest stage I have ever had to play in front of. Just getting in that position you realise how it is so difficult, especially at that course with the last three holes the way they are. But like I said, I think TPC was one of the biggest factors in my game continuing to improve this year. It is a little different from winning a regular tournament or any other tour event. It is kind of the fifth major, or whatever they want to say, even though it is not a major. It means a lot of the players, I found out after winning the tournament.

Last year you said you were willing to take the mantle of Australia?s No. 1 player. Do you find that you have had to do that?
I don't think so. I think there are guys who are more experienced than me who people should turn to before me. Although I am ranked the highest, there are still Greg and Robert and Stuart. They've been there a long time and a lot longer than me and they probably have a lot more wisdom to offer people. It was a goal of mine to be the highest ranked player and I'm glad I got there. I'd like to keep it that. I'd like to keep moving up in the world rankings and, who knows, hopefully get to the top one day.

What did you and Greg talk about for 18 hours in such a little plane?
Such a little plane, sure. I slept for 12 of them which was a pretty good effort, I thought. He was doing some business that I did not need to hear about. We had a couple of beers and it was good fun. Slugger White, his caddie this week, and Tony, we all had a ball on the plane. It was very kind of him to bring me back. It certainly made the trip a lot easier.

Did he pick you up?
No, I met him up where he was, in Denver.

Have things been working well with Tony?
Tony has been great. He brought a lot of good things to my game. I think a lot of the experience from being with Greg when he was No. 1 for such a long time?He is very switched on, he is a very professional caddie. He does a fantastic job and that was another fortunate thing to happen for me earlier in the year.

Do you notice any difference in the way people perceive you after the TPC. Do they recognise you as the guy who hit the shot?
Hitting in the water?

No, the recovery.
Right. It probably made the tournament stand out a little more than if I'd hit it on the green, two-putted and won by two shots. It made it a little more exciting to watch on TV, I guess. People do remember that. Fortunately they remember that I won the tournament and did not lose it. I can live with that. I don't mind the fact that I hit it in the water. We all make mistakes, but at least it didn't cost me the whole tournament.

How close did you hit it?
It was about seven feet.

Do you see this week as a chance to get that breakthrough?
Yes. I planned my schedule pretty carefully this year. I took a long break after Augusta and I've taken plenty of breaks in between. I did that having these tournaments in Australia in mind, that I get back here and feel very fresh and ready to give it my best effort. I feel this is a great chance for me this week. I enjoy playing this golf course and my game is in pretty good shape so hopefully things will pan out well for me.

Question about maiden win in Australia.
It is something that I would like to get out of the way and hopefully have a lot more come in over the years. I've been close now a few times down here and I think I need to finish it off. I think my mindset this time around is a lot better. I feel more fresh and ready to compete, whereas the last couple of times I've come in off long years and kind of dragged my heels around?I think this was the last event for me last year. I was ready to put the clubs away for a few weeks but right now I feel like I would like to keep playing. I feel that my game is about to crest and I think I can do pretty well.

Your bank balance would be pretty healthy this year. Do you intend to buy yourself something?
I haven't done anything crazy. I got a haircut but it wasn?t too expensive. I like cars. I'd love to have a fast car. I just refuse to pay the insurance. I'm under 25. Maybe next July when I turn 25 I'll get a car. I'm lucky. I have a nice place to live in in London and a nice place to live down here. Apart from that, I don't know. I'd love to have a nice car. When the insurance comes down, I'll look into it.

Are you talking about the insurance here or in the UK?
The UK. It is ridiculous.

How much is it?
I don't know. Something like 20,000 pounds a year. Something outrageous.

Do you have something in mind? A Ferrari?
No, I'm not getting a Ferrari. That's Ian Poulter's. I'll leave that to him. I like Porsches. That's my kind of car.

Can you fit your clubs in a Porsche?
I don't really care.

Have you forgiven Annika yet?
I may have counted my chickens. I thought I might get away with winning that hole. But she knocked it in. She did really well. I should have expected her to do it. She is the world No. 1. I'm sure she has many plenty of clutch, seven-foot putts before. I enjoyed the chance to watch her play for a couple of days. I'd never seen her hit a shot. It was very interesting to see.