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How the best Scandinavian golfers came out from last week’s events

Sebastian Soderberg of Sweden walks with his caddie on the 16th hole during Day Four of The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters at Real Club Valderrama (Getty Images)

Last week the LPGA took a break, and the LET Tour received all the attention for the ladies tours. On the men’s side, the CJ Cup tournamnet was a pure show that brought Rickie Fowler (USA) back to the upper part of the leaderboard. Rory McIlroy overtook the top American players, on American soil. The participation of the Scandinavian golfers was not the highest of the year so far. However, Sebastian Söderberg(SWE) and Alexander Björk(SWE) brought some glory home. Söderberg finished T2 at the European Tour tournament of Esterlla Damm Andalucia Masters in Valderrama Golf Course, and Björk made an incredible T4. The best golfers from Denmark, Finlad, Norway, and Sweden are now having some rest to give it all next weekend at the PGA, European, LPGA, and Let Tours.

PGA TOUR: The CJ Cup at Summit

The Irish golfer Rory McIlroy won his 20th tour victory at the PGA Tour event. McIlroy made the exemption to a top 5 on the leaderboard strongly taken by the American players. Viktor Hovland made the Top 20, finishing T18 with a total of 18-under par. Hovland started strong with a bogey-free round of 65 (7-under par), but the luck didn’t last and didn’t manage to push more birdies in. Alex Noren (T59) and Rasmus Hojgaard (63rd) managed to make few birdies along their rounds, but could not lower down the amount of bogeys per round, which made it difficult to rise up on the leaderboard. Noren and Hojgaard signed totals of -10 and -9 respectively.

PGA Tour CJ Cup at Summit
Course The Summit Club, Las Vegas, Nevada (USA)
Prize Money 9.8 Mio US-Dollar (8.4 Mio EUR)
Champion Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
Scandinvian  players Viktor Hovland (T18), Alex Noren (T59), Rasmus Hojgaard (63rd)

European Tour: Andalucía Masters

The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters was played at the golf course of Real Club Valderrama, which plays at Par 71. To the surprise of the Scandinavian field, Sebastian Soderberg shocked the public coming out of the blue with scores of 70-69-72-70 to finish T2, only 3 shots behind the leader, Matt Fitzpatrick. Also from Sweden, his fellow teammate Alexander Björk made a T4 with a total of 2-under par. Real Club Valderrama was in perfect shape, definitely set up for professional golfers of high calibre. Other players from Denmark such as Thomas Bjorn, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Lucas Bjerregaard did not make the cut this time. Thomas Bjorn was in first line after the last player who moved forward into the last two rounds.

European Tour Andalucía Masters
Course Real Club Valderrama (Spain)
Prize Money 3 Million EUR
Champion Matt Fitzpatrick
Scandinvian  players Sebastian Soderberg (T2), Alexander Björk (T4), Joachim B. Hansen (T15)

Ladies European Tour: Aramco Team Series

Across the Atlantic the Ladies European Tour competed in New York after a week off from playing. Glen Oaks Club hosted the event and had a stellar field assembled. Marianne Skarpnord from Norway, together with the Sollheim Cup star Anna Nordqvist (SWE) finsihed T7 with a total of 5-under par. Krista Bakker (FIN) finished T17. Bakker started with a round of even-par (72), Bakker improved in her second round playing under par (70), but the nerves of the last round did not allow her to climb higher on the leaderboard, as she closed up the Aramco Team Series with a scorecard of 1-over par (73).

EU Ladies Tour Aramco Team Series
Course The Glen Oaks Club, New York (USA)
Prize Money 800,000 USD (692,076 EUR)
Champion Charley Hull (ENG)
Scandinvian  players Anna Nordqvist (T7), Marianne Skarpnord (T7), Krista Bakker (T17)
 
 
 
 
 
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Una publicación compartida de Anna Nordqvist (@a_nordqvist)

Champions Tour: SAS Championship

The SAS Championship was held in Cary, North Carolina at the Prestonwood CC. The SAS Championship is part of the Champions Tour, where the legends play. The sport of golf has not always been popular in the Scandinavia Area (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden). However, it is slowly becoming more of an interest for the younger generations. For that reason, there are not yet many golfers that participate with the legends. However, Robert Karlsson (SWE) is a pioneer on the Scandinavian golf. During his first round, Karlsson signed a scorecard with more birdies than pars on it, but a couple of bogeys limited his result to 6-under par. The following two rounds, the Swedish player finished 4-over par and even-par on the last, for a total of 2-under par (66-76-72).

PGA Tour CJ Cup at Summit
Course Prestonwood Country Club Cary, North Carolina (USA)
Prize Money 2.1 Mio US-Dollar (1.8 Mio EUR)
Champion Lee Janzen(USA)
Scandinvian  players Robert Karlsson (T34)
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Rory McIlroy: “I’m on the winning team this week.”

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and team Europe walks off the 18th green prior to the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. (Getty Images)

THE RYDER CUP

September 21, 2021

Rory McIlroy

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good morning. Welcome back to the 43rd Ryder Cup here at Whistling Straits. We are joined by Rory McIlroy. Welcome to your sixth career Ryder Cup.

This is your sixth straight, so you’ve been on the scene for a decade, a decade of great prosperity for Europe. Maybe one thing in that decade that you’ve been around that’s changed or evolved and maybe one thing that hasn’t changed and you hope never does.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, I think as the Ryder Cup has evolved I think it’s become bigger, I guess, every year as it becomes more — I thought last time in France, the size of that grandstand on the first tee and the grandness of it all, it definitely felt like that was the biggest yet.

And then in terms of things that haven’t changed for us as Europe, there’s a lot of continuity in our team, and I think that’s been part of the reason for our success. That’s something that I hope never changes because it’s worked very well for us.

Yeah, I mean, I think that the Ryder Cup epitomizes everything that’s great in the game of golf. It’s competitive but there’s also a lot of sportsmanship shown. And obviously there’s partisan crowds and all of that, but that’s part of being in a team environment. You’re going to have a majority of the crowd rooting for one team or the other.

I guess that’s not something we get to experience every day.

Yeah, Ryder Cup is one of the best events that we have in golf, if not the best event we have in golf, and just excited to be a part of another one.

Q. With yourself and so many of your teammates spending a lot of your lives over here, does it make it any less of an away game, or will it be particularly away game style this year with so few fans from Europe?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I don’t think so. I think if anything that has evolved over the years with the Ryder Cup is the European team and the U.S. Team are probably closer than they ever have been individually. We all spend a lot of time over here. We play predominantly on the PGA TOUR. So there is a part of that.

But still, you know you’re — there’s a sea of red everywhere here. It feels like an American Ryder Cup.

But then again, I haven’t been here in a few years, and you first look at the golf course again and it seems somewhat familiar, and it seems — doesn’t look like a typical American golf course.

Whether that makes a difference or not, that’s to be seen.

I said this in a few of the interviews before this week. I don’t feel like playing away is getting any easier. If anything it’s probably getting a little tougher.

Q. A little bit of the same topic. The Americans obviously play for America. If you’re Team Europe there’s a lot of countries there. What’s kind of the rallying point that brings you all together?

RORY McILROY: We play for each other. I think that’s the best thing that you can do. You play for the guys that are beside you. You play for everyone that’s helping our team try to win this week. You’re obviously playing for your country and your continent and I guess your Tour in some way, as well.

But most of all, we play for each other.

Q. The Ryder Cup could have maybe been played last year but that would have likely meant no fans. I know this is an away game for you this week, but what does it mean to have the fans here and what role do they play in this event?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I just think it makes it a greater spectacle. There were talks of having the Ryder Cup last year with limited fans or no fans, and my argument was it wouldn’t be a Ryder Cup at all. That’s not — I don’t think either team — it probably would have been to the European team’s benefit to not have that, but it’s not a Ryder Cup then.

So it’s great to have fans back. It’s funny, when the Ryder Cup was canceled last year, I still didn’t imagine that we’d be doing this and everyone would still be in masks. Things went on for far too long. But happy we’re here and happy to be playing.

Q. Typically you’re one of the top-ranked Europeans on this thing. Have you ever felt a leadership burden when you come to the Ryder Cup or do you defer to some of the guys like Poulter and Sergio and Westwood who have been here even more often than you, and is it something that you will maybe have to take on as an elder statesman as the Ryder Cup goes on?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think I’ve already tried to evolve into that role. This being my sixth Ryder Cup, 2014 I felt like was the year that I embraced the role of being a leader, and then going on from then.

But yeah, I think that’s one of the great things about the European team. It’s not as if we’re just looking to one guy. There’s a collection of very experienced players there that some of the younger guys and the rookies can look at.

And then you look at our vice captains, as well, and you look at all the pivotal roles they’ve played in Ryder Cups over the years. We have no shortage of leaders on our team.

Q. Just curious what your impression of what Poults and Sergio and Lee have done, the longevity, the success, and what’s your level of respect for what they’ve meant to this team over the years?

RORY McILROY: It’s amazing. You look at someone like Lee Westwood, for example, partnered Nick Faldo in ’97 when it was Faldo’s Ryder Cup. It was his 11th.

Fast forward however many years it is and now Lee is playing his 11th Ryder Cup.

I think that’s one of the cool things about it is it does come full circle. We have this thing this week where we’ve all been given a player number, so there’s been 164 players that have played for the European Ryder Cup team, or GB&I way back in the day.

So that’s a pretty small group of players. I’m No. 144; I think Lee is No. 118. But then you just look at all the players before you, and you look at Bernd Wiesberger who’s making his debut this year who’s No. 164.

It’s a small collection of people that have played for Europe in the Ryder Cup. I think that’s what brings us very close together, and that’s been one of our sort of big focus points this week is just being here is very special and being part of a European team. Very few people can call themselves a European Ryder Cup player.

Q. Was that Paddy’s idea, the numbering?

RORY McILROY: Yeah. He played a video for us last night to put it into context. 570 people have been into space. I think over 5,000 people have climbed Everest. 225 have won a men’s major. When you sort of break it down like that it’s a pretty small group and it’s pretty cool.

Q. You had your debut in the Ryder Cup when you were only 20 years old. Viktor Hovland is now 24. What’s your advice to such a young player like Viktor before this big competition?

RORY McILROY: I mean, I think the thing that I’d say to any rookie is the reason you’re on this team is because of the golf that got you here. I mean, for Viktor I’d just tell him to be himself. He’s one of the best players in the world. He’s already been a wonderful teammate, and the energy and enthusiasm that he brings into our team.

For Viktor, I’d just get out on the golf course, be himself, play his game, and that’s more than good enough to win points for the European team.

Q. In your opinion is the PGA TOUR Player of the Year on Team Europe or Team USA?

RORY McILROY: I don’t care. I just care I’m on the winning team this week.

Q. You made the point that Europe plays for each other; do you think the American team struggles with that?

RORY McILROY: No. I mean, I was just sort of from my perspective being part of a team for now six of these things, I’m just speaking from a personal perspective and what I’ve seen from the European team.

Q. I may be wrong but I think you’ve developed a bit of an interest in boxing, and I think you’ve met Anthony. I just wondered if you’ve had any communication with him because obviously a very big night for him Saturday and whether you’ve had any exchanges with him in the buildup to your big weekend and his big weekend.

RORY McILROY: No, because the last time I saw him he was doing his camp in Miami and then he went up to New York and didn’t have a great night.

But no, it’s a big night for him. Pretty big test. Usyk looks like a really good fighter. Hopefully, unless I’m rested on Saturday afternoon I’ll hopefully be on the golf course so I won’t be able to watch it, but wishing him the best and all the luck.

I think how he conducts himself and how he represents himself in the sport of boxing is — talking about leadership and talking about doing the right thing, he’s the epitome of that.

Q. The last time we saw you playing Ryder Cup in America was probably as animated as we’ve ever seen you on the golf course. Do you think you need to tap into that same level of energy? And the fact that it’s almost exclusively an American crowd, will that help with that cause?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I certainly will try to not be as animated and I’ll try to conserve some energy. It’s a long week. Whether I play all five again, we’ll see, but it’s a lot of golf. It’s a lot of energy just playing, then trying to beat who you’re playing against. If you try to beat the crowd, as well, it seems like a bit of an impossible task.

I will try my best for this team and I’ll try to play the best golf I possibly can, but I sort of learned quite a few things from 2016 about conserving energy.

I felt like I sort of hit a wall on the back nine against Patrick that day, and I want to make sure that that doesn’t happen again.

Q. Was that the most animated you’ve been do you think, the most pumped up?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think the most animated I’ve been in my career has been at Ryder Cups. It just brings something out of you that you don’t get playing individually. There’s something more there when you’re playing as part of a team, and everything you do doesn’t just affect yourself but affects the other 11 players, the captain, the vice captains, all the support team.

There’s a lot of emotion that comes out, but you still have to try to control that, as well.

Q. Just in the context of what you were saying about the Ryder Cup getting bigger and getting harder to win away, if Europe were to get over the line, what would that mean in the context of your career? How big of an achievement would that be?

RORY McILROY: It would be massive. I think winning any Ryder Cup is huge and it’s a monumental achievement for all that are involved, but I think over the years winning a Ryder Cup on the road has just become more meaningful for some reason. We experienced it in 2012, which from a European perspective is probably one of the best days in the Ryder Cup that we’ve ever had in history. I’d certainly love to have that feeling again.

Yeah, I think it would be a huge achievement, especially you look at obviously this tournament isn’t played on paper, it’s played on grass, but on paper you would — you look at the World Rankings and everything, we’re coming in here as underdogs with a lot of things stacked against us, so I think that would make it even more of an achievement.

Q. Just being here at the end of the PGA TOUR season, I was just wondering your confidence level with your own game right now and just if there’s anything specifically that you’re focused on.

RORY McILROY: I feel good. Played well the last few weeks. Led the season in birdies made on the PGA TOUR, birdie percentage, so usually that works out pretty well in match play. Yeah, I’m feeling good.

Q. Should we expect to see you wearing hats this week?

RORY McILROY: They made some for me, so that’s a start. So I’ve got some that fit. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s sort of become my thing in the Ryder Cup to not wear a hat, but I don’t know. We’ll see.

THE MODERATOR: Rory, thank you for finding us and have a terrific day.

Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Rory McIlroy: “There’s no room in golf for people to abuse someone on the golf course when all they’re trying to do is follow their dreams.”

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off the sixth hole during a practice round prior to the 2021 TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

East Lake Golf Club
Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: This is your 8th start here. You’re a two-time champion. Just what are you looking forward to about coming back here for the ninth time or the eighth time.

RORY MCILROY: I mean, I’m just happy to be here, to be honest. I was 28th going into the week last week at Caves Valley. I knew I needed at least a decent week to make it here and it turned out to be a bit better than that. I played, probably played some of the best golf I’ve played all year, not good enough to keep up with Patrick and Bryson, but certainly good enough to move up a few spots and get here this week.

So, yeah, happy to be here. It’s, I think it’s always a feather in your cap to make the TOUR Championship even though someone in my position is expected to and I obviously expect myself to as well. You look around this week and there’s only 30 players here and you can single out every single player that’s done something really well this year. So to be included in that group is nice and at least I have a chance.

I, it was funny, I saw Sungjae this morning at breakfast, and when I finished on Sunday, it looked like I was projected to start the tournament this week at 4-under and then Sungjae birdied 17, and then I was projected to start the week at 3-under, and then he birdied the last, and then I went down to 2-under. So even before the week started he cost me two shots.

But, no, it’s — and it’s sort of, I think that’s the fun thing about this format. You’re always sort of looking at what the other guys are doing and seeing where you’re going to start. But, yeah, just happy to be here and glad to have a chance.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. You touched on it there. How do you approach starting the week eight behind? Do you just think, that’s just two shots a day, or do you just try and put it out of your mind until you get down to the business end of it?

RORY MCILROY: Not really. I mean, I think East Lake isn’t the easiest golf course in the world and it’s certainly a, it seems to be a course that separates the field somewhat. So the way I look at it, if I go out tomorrow and shoot 6-under, for example, which is the score I shot last year in the first round, get to 8-under par, and some of those top guys shoot even par or even 1- or 2-over, all of a sudden you’re right in it.

So it’s a golf course that you can, I feel like you can make up a lot of ground quickly. You can also lose a lot of ground quickly as well, depending on how it goes. But I certainly don’t feel like I’m out of it. I don’t feel like I’m too far behind. Eight shots around this golf course doesn’t seem like that much, so still pretty optimistic.

But, I mean, I think it just puts the impetus, especially for people that are in my position, the bottom half of the field, you just have to get off to a fast start.

Q. Jon has been kind of outspoken about the format for this week. He points out the fact that you come in having won, four, five times and a major and end up finishing 30th on the points list. And I know you’ve addressed this before, but there is a clarity for the fans, but that’s offset by Jon’s point, which I think a lot of people agree with. Do you have a thought on that one way or the other?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I mean I, look, the first year that it was played in this format I started five back, and I ended up winning the tournament by three. So, like, everyone gets here. The people that have played well have an advantage. It’s not an insurmountable advantage like it has been in previous years where guys have turned up to the TOUR Championship not having to do anything to win the FedExCup and that’s certainly, you don’t want that to happen either.

So I mean, there’s been a few iterations of it and I think this is definitely the best format so far. There’s clarity for the players. There’s clarity for the fans. It’s, again, it’s the playoffs, and I think everyone that’s in the top-30 deserves to be here and then because of that everyone in the top-30 deserves to feel like they have a chance to win it all.

So I can certainly see where Jon is coming from, especially with the year that he’s had. But, look, I’ve went into two, I went into two playoff runs being No. 1 in 2012 and 2014 and didn’t win either of them. So I’ve been on both sides of the coin here.

Look, it is what it is. I mean, the PGA TOUR wanted to create this playoffs format and by nature it is going to be volatile at the end of the year and I think most players have accepted that.

Q. I know you were hitting fades and hitting draws and trying to figure out which one made more sense. Where have you settled on that and why?

RORY MCILROY: I think it’s shot- and hole-dependent. I’m going to try to hit a fade on holes that dictate that that’s the way you should play the hole and I’m going to try to hit a draw on holes or hole locations where it dictates that you should hit a draw. I think I’m, most players in this field and most players on TOUR should be good enough to be able to work the ball both ways.

Certainly there is advantages of just having one shot shape. It takes the options or the choices out of your head somewhat and it simplifies the game, but I think I should be able to swing the club well enough and know what I’m doing that I’m able to hit both shots. I mean, I think for my swing pattern and when it gets off, I think the feeling of a fade is always a good one because it gets the club out more in front of me on the way down. So that’s always going to be a sort of thought or a drill of mine is, like, just keep trying to get the club out in front of me and rotate and hitting those fades because I know if I can hit the fade pretty consistently, then I know I’m swinging well and the club’s not getting stuck behind me, and I know how to hit a draw. I mean, I’ve done that my whole life.

So it’s just a matter of managing your patterns somewhat and basically just hitting the shot that’s required on the hole or, yeah.

Q. With two European Tour counting events remaining for the Ryder Cup, how do you see the Ryder Cup, European Ryder Cup team shaping up? Pads has got a pretty tough task in terms of phone calls before he makes the announcement of the wild cards at Wentworth on that Sunday night.

RORY MCILROY: It depends how Italy and Wentworth go, I guess, the next couple of weeks. Obviously, Bernd Wiesberger had a great chance to play himself into the team in Switzerland and didn’t quite get it done but certainly has a couple more opportunities coming up in Italy and Wentworth to get over the line.

And then I think if that were to happen, if say someone like a Bernd or a Victor Perez or one of those guys gets, plays their way into the team, then I think it makes it a little more difficult for Padraig because then say, for example, if Shane doesn’t get on automatically, then you’re looking at him for a pick or whoever else.

It’s sort of, it’s still all a bit up in the air. But I think at this moment in time, if the qualifications stopped, I think it’s a pretty simple, I think it’s a pretty simple scenario, but a lot can change over the next couple of weeks.

Q. Are we going to see you at Wentworth or not?

RORY MCILROY: No.

Q. Do you feel that fan behavior has become less respectful and if so what do you attribute it to?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I do, a little bit. I think I sort of know what you’re getting at on the back of last week and some things that were said over the past few weeks, I guess. Yeah, a little bit. I think it’s different. As golfers, there’s a very thin rope that separates us from the fans, and then you hit a shot off line, and you have to go into the fans to hit it. So we get a little closer to them than some other sports.

Yeah, I think some of it crosses the line. I think there’s a certain, I think certain other sports culture has fed into our game and fed into the fan base that’s definitely affected it, and people will make the argument that, well, it happens in every other sport. But I would say that we’re not any other sport and I think golf should hold itself to a higher standard. I mean, the players are certainly held to a higher standard than other sports, so why wouldn’t our fan base be.

Q. Do you feel like you have to develop a thicker skin for the Ryder Cup?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, certainly, especially the ones that are played in the United States. But I think the best thing is to just not — someone once told me awhile back, if you don’t take anything personally, you’ll live a very happy life, and I think I try to do that all the time. You just try to let it slide off, not take things personally and if you can do that and if you can train yourself to think that way, it certainly makes it easier.

Q. Everybody seems to be on Bryson’s case at the moment. Do you feel any sympathy for him or do you think he brought it on himself?

RORY MCILROY: I certainly feel some sympathy for him because I certainly, I don’t think that you should be ostracized or criticized for being different, and I think we have all known from the start that Bryson is different and he is not going to conform to the way people want him to be. He is his own person. He thinks his own thoughts and everyone has a right to do that.

There are certainly things that he has done in the past that have brought some of this stuff on himself. I’m not saying that he’s completely blameless in this. But at the same time, I think he has been getting a pretty rough go of it of late and it’s actually pretty sad to see because he, deep down, I think, is a nice person and all he wants to do is try to be the best golfer he can be. And it just seems like every week something else happens and I would say it’s pretty tough to be Bryson DeChambeau right now.

And I don’t know if anyone else on TOUR has spoken up for him, but I definitely, I definitely he feel for him a little bit. And I agree, I don’t think he’s completely blameless in all this, but at the same time, I think he’s trying to become better and he’s trying to learn from his mistakes and I think everyone should give him a chance to try to do that.

Q. Outside observers can’t help but note Patrick Cantlay’s very calm demeanor on the golf course regardless of what the circumstances are. Is that something that the players take note of as well? And what other parts of his game might you point to to, that’s going to make him tough to catch this week?

RORY MCILROY: I mean, if he putts the way he putted last week for the rest of his career we have no chance. (Laughing).

Yeah, Patrick is, he’s a very, what you see on TV is what you get in person. I mean, he’s a pretty, he’s a very smart guy as well. I think that’s the thing. He’s very, he doesn’t say a whole lot, but you can tell that there’s a lot going on in his head and he’s an educated guy. And, yeah, I mean, the performance that he put in last week, I think everyone that, when he hit that shot into the water on 17 in regulation, we all thought, Well, this is Bryson’s to win. But the resolve that he showed to get up-and-down to make bogey there, to birdie the last to force a playoff, and then everything that happened in the playoff, it was really impressive to see.

I think that was a, he’s won some tournaments before and he’s played well, but I think that was, I don’t know if anyone’s ever seen that side of Patrick Cantlay to that extent like we did last week and it was very impressive.

Q. You alluded to the Hazeltine Ryder Cup a little bit earlier and my read on that week was that you expended a ton of energy winning matches early in the week and kind of carrying your team. Obviously, you had that huge energy explosion on the 8th hole against Patrick on Sunday, and then I thought maybe you kind of lost, like you had reached a breaking point almost at that point. I wanted to ask you if that was true, first of all, and then playing off of that, what would you tell, let’s say like a Ryder Cup rookie or how would you advise them about the specific challenges of playing a Ryder Cup in the U.S. in this modern era where fans can be jerks and it’s just like a crazy amount of energy that it takes from you?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, so you’re completely right. That observation is, you hit the nail on the head. I expended so much energy during that week, not just competing on the golf course, but also just everything else that was going on that, everything sort of reached a crescendo on that 8th green on Sunday, and I think both of us, I think both Patrick and I, we certainly didn’t keep that level of play up for the entire match, and I think we both sort of came down a little bit from that, but he was just able to — he made birdie at the last and ended up winning 1-up.

And but, yeah, it was certainly, I took a lot from that. I learned a lot from that and I hopefully won’t make the same mistake again this year because you can only, you only have so much energy, and you can only use it for an amount of time. And I think what I would tell a rookie going into a Ryder Cup, especially on the road, is, yeah, conserve your energy. You don’t, like we’re there from the Monday, the matches don’t start until the Friday, I mean, I would Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday do just enough to feel like you’re prepared, but don’t do too much. Don’t play 18-hole practice rounds every day. Don’t kill yourself in the gym. Don’t like, I mean, do what you need to do to get yourself in the right frame of mind and the right space physically to go out there and play.

And the thing, as well, is if you’re called upon to play all five sessions, that’s a long week. It’s tough and it’s physically draining, but also mentally as well, trying to focus on the job at hand and not get distracted by the crowd or anything else.

So it’s a pretty tough task, I think, for a rookie coming into that environment that’s going to be the toughest week of their golfing life and they have to be prepared for that and all I would say is conserve your energy and put it into the three days.

Q. You said if you don’t think anything personal, you’ll never be upset. How do you put that into practice when you’re in the thick of it and the things people are saying to you are intensely personal?

RORY MCILROY: I think you just have to, you have to think about, Okay, if I were to sit down and have a beer with this person, would they think the same thing, would they say the same thing? And of course they wouldn’t. You go, if someone says something to you and you go up and you confront them about it, they’re not going to say the same thing as either, right? It’s a — it’s just a weird dynamic between fan and competitor and they’re doing it to try to help their own team. They’re doing it because they’re from the United States and they’re trying to — and I think if you — I think I’ve tried to train myself to think about it and think on purpose rather than react, and I think the more you react to it, the more it gets at you, but the more you actually think about it and break it down and it just, it becomes less meaningful and you can just sort of let it roll off.

And I’ve tried to do a really good job of that over the last few years of not react and just try to think about it a little bit more and try to just try to put it in a better perspective, I guess.

Q. It sounds as if you’re on board with what Jay told us yesterday about the fan behavior stuff. But just curious your thoughts on just enforcing that, the difficulty of actually calling people out and maybe asking, booting them or ejecting them in such a situation. Is that realistic?

RORY MCILROY: I think as I said at the start, as golfers I feel like we’re held to a higher standard than other sports and other athletes and I think because of that the people that come to watch us play should be held to a higher standard as well. And enforcing that, I think it should be — there’s no room in golf for people to abuse someone on the golf course when all they’re trying to do is do their best and win a golf tournament and follow their dreams. So there’s no place for that in our game and that might sound a little stiff or snobby or whatever, but that’s golf and we have traditions and we have — you look at like a First Tee Program, for example, what are they taught through golf? They’re taught respect, sportsmanship, etiquette, how to treat others the right way, and that’s everything that we try to do through golf. They are the values of our game and that’s, people need to understand that and they need to try to adopt those same etiquettes and those same beliefs and values when they show up at our tournaments.

Interview Transcript by ASAP Sports

Categories
PGA Tour

Rory McIlory: “It’s a cool venue, and I think everyone is excited for it this week”

OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND - AUGUST 25: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off during the Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am ahead of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Course on August 25, 2021 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

DOUG MILNE: We’d like to welcome Rory McIlroy, 2012 BMW Championship winner. Thanks for joining us. Coming into the week inside the top 30 in the FedExCup standings, world No. 16, making your 11th start at the BMW Championship. Just some thoughts on Caves Valley. You’ve had a chance to see the course and kind of your take on how the week is setting up so far.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, first look at Caves today. It’s a big ballpark, can certainly let it rip out here, hit a lot of drivers. I think there’s been a lot of rain in the Baltimore area, so it’s pretty soft, so the ball is not really going anywhere when it hits, which is good. It makes the course play nice and long, which I like.

Yeah, it’s a good track, good test. I have a few friends that are members here, and they’ve told me all about it and rave about the place. I can see what they’re talking about. It’s a cool venue, and I think everyone is excited for it this week.

DOUG MILNE: Just a couple thoughts on how you’re feeling with your game coming into the week. You obviously picked up your 19th win earlier in the season in Charlotte. Just coming into the week, kind of assess the state of your game.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think I feel like a lot of guys feel right now, a little jaded, a little tired. End of the season, there’s been a lot of golf. Yeah, so a lot of travel.

So yeah, I’m just sort of getting through it, to be honest. I’m going day by day and just trying to get through it as best I can and try to make it to next week. After that, two weeks off before the Ryder Cup.

Yeah, just taking it day by day. The game feels pretty good, okay. Energy levels are somewhat sort of trying to dig deep at this point, but yeah, try and keep going and try and put in a good finish this week to make sure I’m in Atlanta next week.

Q. I think if you go back to last year, this is the sixth or seventh course on TOUR that you had not seen. What’s that like compared with the stuff you go back to week after week? What’s the difference?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think there’s pros and cons to each. I think sometimes when you get to a new course you don’t have the memories of hitting it in places that you shouldn’t and maybe having that in your mind somewhat. But then you go to some courses that you like and you play well on and you’ve got great memories, like Quail Hollow for example this year for me, and you can play well on them.

Mcllory believes it’s better to play on unfamiliar courses

I seem to — for the most part seem to do well on golf courses that I haven’t seen before, and especially at a golf course like this. It’s big, it’s right in front of you. There’s tons of definition. There’s not many blind shots.

Yeah, I don’t — I certainly don’t think guys are going to struggle this week because we haven’t seen this golf course.

Q. Tony when he won on Monday seemed like a very popular win. Why?

RORY MCILROY: He’s such a good guy. I’ve known Tony for over 20 years. He comes from a great family. He’s a wonderful person. Obviously he hadn’t won in a while, but he never complained. He just sticks his head down, goes about his business.

It was a really popular win in the locker room. I think Cam Smith is obviously a great guy, as well, and I think that would have been received really well, especially with how close he’s been over the last few weeks, but I think everyone was pulling for Tony, and it was a real popular win.

Q. Just wondering your impressions of Baltimore in general. Not sure if you’ve been able to see much of the town or where you’re staying, but curious what your thoughts are there.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I saw the airport for about 10 minutes yesterday and then I drove straight here and I’m staying on property, so I don’t — I can’t really give you much of an answer on that one.

I can tell you that Caves Valley is beautiful and where we are this week, but haven’t — I’ve never been to Baltimore before, and I haven’t made it downtown yet this week. Hopefully at some point I will.

Family is important

Q. There’s a young girl in your life about to have a birthday. I was wondering, looking back on the 12 months since Poppy was born, how has life changed?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I mean, it’s changed a lot. I want to spend a lot more time at home. I wanted to get home even in between these two events, so I flew down from New York Monday night so I could get a night in my own bed Monday, spend a few hours with her yesterday, a few hours with her and Erica, and then I flew up here yesterday afternoon. Yeah, any chance I get to get home, especially at this point in the season when we’ve been away so much, I’m going to take it.

Yeah, you have to manage your time a little better and you have to be a little more efficient with what you do. I think obviously it’s a big adjustment for anyone, but it’s been great. It’s the most fulfilling thing I think you’ll ever do in your life, and nothing can replace that feeling.

Q. Can I ask you about one other young lady, your reaction to Leona Maguire getting picked for the Solheim Cup, first Irish girl, as you know, and just the impact for Irish women’s golf in general.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I saw the news yesterday that Leona is on the Solheim Cup team. I think it’s wonderful. I got to spend a little bit of time with her in Tokyo. I think, as well, like from back home, Leona is — both the girls but especially Leona was sort of earmarked for success for a long time, sort of child prodigy coming up. She sort of went through all the ranks, Curtis Cup and now into the Solheim Cup, and she’s been putting some really good scores together, obviously shooting that great round the last day at the Evian.

So yeah, she’s been playing well. I think her selection is well deserved, and it’s just another stepping-stone in the right direction for her. It’s a great achievement, and yeah, I certainly don’t think this is — I think she’s just getting started.

Q. When it comes to late summer, kind of dog days like you were talking about, what is the most tiring or monotonous part of the week-to-week preparation?

RORY MCILROY: I don’t know. I think just the — I mean, this morning, I was tired. Look, we all had a long week last week, as well, but even just summoning up the effort to get out of bed and go get to your 7:20 pro-am tee time, it look a little more effort today than it usually does.

But yeah, just everything. It’s a lot of golf. It’s hard to feel fresh at this time in the season. It all just sort of catches up with you. I don’t know if I could pinpoint one particular thing. It’s just sort of everything blended together.

Q. Is there one particular thing you’re looking forward to once you do get a break?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I mean, just not traveling for a little bit. I’m going to take a bit of time off after the Ryder Cup, and that’ll be nice.

It’s been a — since we came back after the sort of COVID halt, I guess, when we came back in Colonial last year, I think this is my 33rd event since then. Next week will be 34 and then Ryder Cup 35. So all that in a space of 15 months, it’s a lot of golf. It’s probably too much for me. I’ve played more than I probably should have and feel like it’s just sort of all caught up with me.

Q. You were on the range for like ages yesterday working really hard. Just curious what those practice sessions look like and what you’re working on.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, so I needed to try to get into a new 3-wood and into a new driver. I threw my 3-wood onto the New Jersey Turnpike off the 9th hole yesterday, or on Monday, and so I was without a 3-wood coming here.

The driver I just felt was spinning a little too much last week, so I just needed to get into something that wasn’t spinning as much, and that was really it. So going through a bunch of different heads and shafts as you saw yesterday, and feel like I landed on a good driver and got a pretty good 3-wood, too.

That was the purpose of yesterday’s range session.

Q. You said the 3-wood went where exactly, on the New Jersey turnpike?

RORY MCILROY: I mightn’t have reached the road but I threw it into the trees off the 9th tee at Liberty National, so if someone wants to go get a 3-wood, there’s one in there somewhere.

Q. Just talking about kind of the energy deficit you feel right now, it occurs to me that you learned at Hazeltine and I guess all the way back at Medinah that playing a Ryder Cup in America takes a ton of energy, and it can be incredibly taxing. Is that of concern to you at all?

RORY MCILROY: No, I think having two weeks off after the TOUR Championship is going to be nice. Like I sort of was planning to go over to Wentworth to play the BMW, but it’s just too much travel, and with what’s coming up with Ryder Cup — yeah, that’s a long week, no matter if you’re in Europe or the States, especially I haven’t missed a session yet. So say I play five sessions again, yeah, it’s a really long week. So the two weeks off after the TOUR Championship are going to be well needed, and I’ll go in there nice and refreshed and ready to give it my all.

Q. You’ve played under five captains now. Do you expect one day you would be a captain? I wanted to ask, of the guys you played under, what qualities from each ones would be something that if you were a captain you would use?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think captaincy for me is still hopefully 20 years down the line. But yeah, there’s been — I think every captain I’ve played under has brought their different qualities to the team, whether it be individual man management of some players to sort of like a group leadership type of role.

Yeah, everyone has brought sort of some different stuff. I thought Thomas Bj�rn last time was wonderful. I thought he did a really good job. He was a very — he sort of was quite an emotional leader. He played us this video on the Thursday night before the first session on Friday morning and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. So just stuff like that, and sort of — he put a real — he sort of gave everyone meaning of why they were there and the people that came before us.

It was a really — to put it in that perspective I think was really cool, and it just gives you a real sense of you’re part of this Ryder Cup team but you’re part of something that’s obviously a lot bigger than that, so that was really cool. That’s just one thing that sticks out in my recent memory.

Mcllory vs. Rahm

Q. One person who will be alongside you next month and probably for those next 20 years at Ryder Cups is Jon Rahm. I wonder how you would describe the evolution of his game since he came out here, and then we all kind of always describe him just in the default way as fiery, but is there another perspective that a player might have that’s different than that?

RORY MCILROY: No, I think with Jon what you see is what you get. Hell of a player, though. I mean, just doesn’t seem to miss a shot, is super aggressive all the time, no matter what shot or how he’s played beforehand.

Yeah, he’s fiery. Obviously it means a lot to him. He takes it very seriously. He’s a very — like he knows how good he is, and I think when you’re that good and you know you’re that good, you can — he’s got a great mentality for the game. He’s so consistent. Every time he tees it up, he’s up there.

Yeah, he’s a hell of a player. He’s by far the best player in the world right now, and he shows that every week that he plays. It’s up to the rest of us to up our level a little bit to try to play alongside that.

Q. You guys are both trying to play top golf while being a new dad. Is that a conversation you’ve had at all or not?

RORY MCILROY: No, not really. I think everyone has different ways of dealing with it and parenting, and I’m certainly not going to go to anyone else and tell them how to do it because I’m a novice, too.

But yeah, I think it’s an adjustment for all of us, but it certainly hasn’t seemed to hurt his game at all. So yeah, I think he’s doing just fine.

Q. We were just talking to Tony Finau a little while ago, and he admitted that it’s harder than it looks to speak to reporters after a close loss, like the series of close losses that he had, but he felt like it was the right thing to do. Do you likewise feel responsibility to do that even after a tough disappointment?

RORY MCILROY: I wouldn’t necessarily say I feel a responsibility to do it, but I guess it’s just sort of — it’s the accepted way to do things. It’s sort of what — you’re met off the 18th green and a representative from the TOUR or someone else sort of ushers toward a line of reporters. Sometimes I’ll say no because I just don’t want to, but most of the time I’ll say yes because — yeah, it’s just the done thing. It’s the status quo, I guess. That’s the way I would put it.

Q. Is it harder than it looks? Is it harder for you to do that, for people to do it do you think than they let on?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think if you’ve had a s— day, it’s hard to like go and talk about it, right? If you guys have a bad day and we come to your office and try to talk to you about it, you might want to confide in your family or your friends or you might want to — I think the tough thing is sometimes doing it right there and then. Sort of I think sometimes letting us cool off for 30 minutes or 45 minutes and then try to let us gather our thoughts, I think sometimes that could be a little bit easier.

I don’t think anyone enjoys sort of trying to explain a day where it hasn’t went the right way for them. But I think it’s accepted that when you’re at a certain level it’s just part of the job.

DOUG MILNE: Okay, Rory, we appreciate your time as always. Have a great week.

Interview Transcript by AsapSports.com

Categories
Highlights Tours

Rory Mcllory: “Yeah, it was a tricky afternoon”

Rory McIlroy during his first round of the British Open 2021. (Photo: Getty Images)

Q. Rory, thanks for joining us. Birdie at the last there. You must be happy with that finish.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, really happy with that finish. Yeah, it was a tricky afternoon. The conditions got pretty rough there in the middle of the round. The wind got up and I made a few bogeys in a row, so sort of said to myself at the turn if I could get back to even par for the day I would be happy.

To birdie the last hole and get back to even par, yeah, it’s nice to finish like that. Looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.

Q. Well played. Nice birdie at the last. What was the biggest challenge out there today? The pace of the greens seemed to be something that troubled quite a few players. I know you left quite a few putts out there short today. Maybe that was something that troubled you.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, the greens have been slow. The whole transition of coming back to Europe and putting on these greens, I felt they were slow in Ireland, slow last week in Scotland, and they’re slow this week again.

It was Patrick left a lot short, so did Cam, I so did. I put extra weight in my putter this week to try to help that, to try to counteract the slow greens. My pace was a bit better than in practice. I was leaving some woefully short the last couple days.

The extra weight in the putter helped a little bit. Yeah, it’s just so hard. The wind was so strong and you get a putt that’s back into the wind, you really have to give it a belt to get it to the hole.

Q. And just the final birdie, how much does that mean to you? Obviously big difference being level par mentally to 1-over.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, more mentally than anything else. Obviously one shot closer to the lead. Yeah, just to battle back — I was 2-over through 7 after getting off to a good start. To battle back and shoot even par, play the last, whatever it is, 11 holes in 2-under, I was pretty pleased with that in those conditions.

Interview transcript by asapsports.com

Categories
Highlights Tours

Rory McIlroy: “Hopefully I can continue that record this week”

Rory McIlroy during his practice round ahead of the British Open 2021. (Photo: Getty Images)

MIKE WOODCOCK: Good afternoon, everyone. We’re joined by the former Open Champion and four-time major champion Rory McIlroy this afternoon. Rory, great to see you. Thank you for coming in.

Leaving aside 2019, you’ve had a remarkably consistent record in the last few years in the Open. How much do you hope to be able to continue that this week and bring that Open form into the championship?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I think over the last few years, The Open has been my — you know, my best performances in major championships have been at this event. Had a really good chance to — I guess had a good chance to at least put some pressure on Francesco at Carnoustie in 2018 and I didn’t birdie the last there.

It’s been good. Even though I’ve sort of grown up on links courses and played a lot of links golf, still, when you turn professional, 90 per cent, 95 per cent of the golf you play isn’t this style of golf, so you always have to adjust a little bit.

Over the years I’ve just become more and more comfortable with this style of golf, and I think more than anything else, there’s a lot more variables in the Open Championship and on links courses. Once you learn that you can’t control those variables, then you just have to go out and accept whatever is given to you.

I think as I’ve gotten a little more experience and matured, I’ve been able to play this championship a little bit better, and hopefully I can continue that record this week.

Q. Could you put into words just how much of a profound blow it was to have no Open Championship for this sport last year and just how much it means and how special it is now returning?

Rory McIlroy: “It was a really different and weird year”

RORY McILROY: Yeah, profound blow sounds very serious. There was a lot of events that were cancelled last year because of the pandemic. I guess my thought, even you look at — I always compare golf to tennis because two individual sports, four majors a year, and The Open Championship and Wimbledon were cancelled last year, which was — both Wimbledon and here, arguably the biggest tournaments in their respective sports, and for those to be cancelled — even actually walking in our little like open clubhouse here this week, there’s a board with the list of winners and the courses, and it says 2020 championship not played, and you’re just so used to seeing at that like 1941 or 1945, like war years and stuff like that.

The fact that every time now you look at 2020 it’s going to say “championship not played,” it just sort of stuck with me. It was like, Wow, yeah, it was a really different and weird year.

As you said, I think everyone is just so glad to be back and playing again and inching our way back to some sort of normality. Obviously next Monday is going to be a big day here for England and the UK, and I think everyone is looking forward to that.

It’s great to be back and great to have fans and just great to be playing an Open Championship again.

Q. What were your takeaways from the practice round other than the lovely weather? Did anything strike you as unexpected about the course?

Rory McIlroy on his practice rounds

RORY McILROY: I think the biggest thing here is the course, even before the rain yesterday, the course was quite lush, quite green. We maybe weren’t getting the bounces that we’re accustomed to getting here at St. George’s with the bumpy fairways.

Honestly, I think the course plays a little better that way, so I was pleasantly surprised at — I walked away from the golf course on Saturday and Sunday thinking, this is a much better golf course than I remember it being, and I think that’s just because of the way it’s playing right now.

I think it’s perfect, and as the days go on with a little bit of wind and sunshine, by the weekend it should just be absolutely perfect. It should be playing the way it should play.

Yeah, I think more than anything else, I obviously didn’t have great memories from 2011 the way I played, and playing the last few days, it’s — this is just my perception, and because of not playing my best that time, I came back here and it’s much better than I remember.

Q. Related to the first question, you’ve had two years to dwell on what happened in 2019. You weren’t able to banish the memory last year. How much has the fact you missed the cut and it was your home Open, how much has that lived with you as a monkey on your back?

RORY McILROY: I mean, not really. I ended up winning the FedExCup in 2019, so it gave me a few million reasons to feel better (smiling).

I didn’t dwell on it that much. It was tough, but the great thing about golf is there’s always next week. You can always get back on the horse. You can always — and that’s what I did. I moved forward, set my sights on other things like the FedExCup, like — that was basically all there was left to play for that year.

I won a World Golf Championship in China. I got to world No. 1 at the start of 2020, and then the pandemic hit and the world sort of changed.

If anything, it was a catalyst for me to play some of my best golf. I left Portrush obviously very disappointed, but by February of 2020, a few months down the line, I got back to No. 1 in the world.

So I didn’t dwell on it that much.

Q. You never like to miss a cut, but the fact that you’ve been here for a few extra days and been able to taper your practice accordingly, could it turn out to be a blessing in disguise?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think so. You never want to miss a cut, as you say, but as missed cuts go, this wasn’t necessarily a bad one. I wasn’t planning on playing the Scottish Open a few weeks ago anyway, so just to get a couple of competitive rounds in and just learn a little bit more and figure out what I need to do — look, it would have been great to stay and play an extra couple days in Scotland, but to be down here and get a few holes in on Saturday, play a full round on Sunday, felt like I got a bit of a head start on the rest of the field, which feels good.

It means now that I didn’t even play any holes yesterday. I played 11 today. I’m probably going to go out early tomorrow and play 18.

But I just meant that I can take it a bit easier the next couple days, not feel like I’m trying to cram all the preparation in.

Q. Given the swing changes obviously Charlotte was such a huge step, but it’s been kind of uneven since. Where do you feel like you are in the process of where you want to be ball-striking wise?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I feel good. I’ve hit the ball really good in practice the last few days. I feel like I figured something out on Sunday here, which has been really good.

I hit the ball great on the range yesterday, and I hit the ball well today on the course.

It’s hard. You’re going — thinking a swing so much, and it’s really about trying to get that blend of getting your mechanics right but then also letting your athletic ability and your instincts shine through, as well.

It’s just been trying to get that balance. As I said, I feel like I figured something out on Sunday, and I feel good with it. I feel good about where I am going into the week.

Q. An interesting stat that I uncovered: On three occasions in the last sequence of missed cuts, you have bounced back and won three times. Of the last nine times you’ve missed the cut, three occasions, coming out, straight out of the box, you’ve won. I wonder if there’s anything going on there in terms of motivational or psychological that puts you in a better place or are you fighting harder, or is it just a chance statistic?

RORY McILROY: No, I certainly don’t think it’s a chance statistic. Look, I think in golf you always learn more about your game when you’ve missed a cut or struggled or not played as well. I think anyone can play well, anyone can hit the ball great and give themselves chances to win — not anyone, but a lot of people can.

But you just learn more. I’ve always learnt more from disappointments and from not doing as well.

But I’ve always tried to learn. I’ve always tried to figure out, okay, why did this week not go so well, and then you give yourself a couple of thoughts and they’re fresh in your mind going into the next week. That’s why I say in golf there’s always next week, and that’s a great thing, because you can right some wrongs pretty quickly.

I’ve been able to do that in the past. I missed the cut at Memorial a couple years ago, went down and won the Canadian Open the next week. Yeah, missed the cut at the Masters and then went and my next start was Quail Hollow and I won.

Golf always just gives you another opportunity to go out and play well and to see if you’ve learned from your mistakes, and I’ve always made it a priority in my career to really try to learn from my mistakes, all the way back to what happened at Augusta in ’11 and going and winning the U.S. Open the next major.

I had a few things fresh in my mind for a couple of months there, and I made sure if I ever got myself in a position like that again, I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes.

Q. You had a very good U.S. Open; I’m just wondering, would you be happy to play the same as you did in that event this week? Or was it something about that performance you feel you need to improve on to give yourself another chance at this week?

RORY McILROY: I think if I played like I did at the U.S. Open I’d take my chances. But I feel like I can play better. Yeah, look, geez, if I’m — of course sitting here today, if I’m tied for the lead with nine holes to go on Sunday, I’d obviously take it and take my chances, but I still feel like I can play better than that.

Q. I was just listening to a podcast about the Ryder Cup, and Viktor Hovland said you were able to have a chat during The Memorial a couple of weeks ago. I was wondering if you recall what you talked about and also how you see him fitting into the European side.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, Viktor is going to be an instrumental player for the European team for a long time to come. I’ve been really impressed with him and how he’s played. I played a practice round with him at Pebble Beach in 2019 and he was still an amateur then. What he’s done already as a pro, it’s really, really impressive.

Yeah, he’s obviously a great young player. He’s, whatever he is, 23, 24. He’s got a really bright future, and that’s — yeah, having someone like him on the European team can only help.

He’s used to playing in the States. Obviously a great college career, plays most of his golf on the PGA Tour. It’s not as if he’s going to get overwhelmed by anything over there during the Ryder Cup.

I can’t remember the conversation that we had, but I probably told him if he was trying to choose a partner, I’d put my hand up and like to guide him around. But yeah, I’m looking forward to teaming up with him in September.

Q. The notion that you can hit a perfect drive here and it not be rewarded, just curious, is there a place on every hole where you can hit it and know where to hit it so that doesn’t happen, or are you better off taking your chances and hitting it down there and seeing what happens?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, it’s not as if every hole is like that. There’s a few holes where you might hit a good drive and — but I think, as I was alluding to earlier with how the golf course is playing right now, you’re not going to get these huge bounces where it goes into the long, thick rough. It might go into the first cut, but you can still control your ball from there.

It’s certainly not as penal or unfair as it has been in previous years. 2011 it was a little bit like that, but looking back to ’03, for example, it looked really burnt and crispy then, and it looked like a bit of a pinball machine out there.

But that’s not going to be the case this week. It’s a lot more lush. It’s a lot more green. I think the biggest thing this week is if you do hit it off line, you’ve got some really thick, juicy rough on either side of the fairway, which you just have to avoid.

MIKE WOODCOCK: Rory, thanks for your time and best of luck this week.

Interview transcript by asapsports.com

Categories
European Tour

Rory McIlroy: “Irish Open was the first time I ever watched Tiger play live”

Rory McIlroy during the press conference on preview day of the Irish Open 2021. (Picture: Getty)
Rory McIlroy during the press conference on preview day of the Irish Open 2021. (Picture: Getty)

Before the start of the tournament Rory McIlroy talks about his return to the Irish Open on the European Tour and the upcoming last Major of the current season.

Q. Welcome back to the Irish Open, and to Mount Juliet. You were out there playing today. Tell us how you got on. How is Mount Juliet looking today?

Rory McIlroy: It’s looking fabulous. Wonderful weather. Great golf course. It’s great. I’ve never played here before. I’ve been here to watch when the World Golf Championships were here in 2002 and 2004; we came down to watch, but a little different playing it. And, yeah, obviously vantage point is a little different, as well.

But yeah, it’s in great shape. I played the back nine today. I’ll play all 18 tomorrow in the Pro-Am. Landed this morning at 5.15 into Dublin, so it’s been a long day and pretty tired, but determined to stay up and watch England and Germany here in a little bit and we’ll go from there.

Q. Wondering about your memories of those tournaments in 2002 and 2004. Many champions here are major winners. Is that something that you feel that this is a course that maybe suits players of that calibre; that you should be up there this week because of that?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, I hope so. I hope to continue that trend, that’s for sure.

Yeah, I remember quite a bit. I said to Harry, the last time I was on the 18th green here was during the prize ceremony when Tiger won, and I remember I somehow sneaked my way like under the rope onto the back of the green, and I was standing right behind him and his glove was still in his back pocket. And like I could have reached and got it and ran; it would have been a good story to tell him but I obviously didn’t.

It was the first time I ever watched Tiger play live. I remember the first shot I ever saw him hit was a drive off the 5th hole, the par 5, and he hit a 2-iron into the green. It was really cool. I idolised him growing up and to actually see the man in the flesh was pretty exciting.

And then in 2004, I was sort of — I had sort of made a name for myself in the amateur scene at that point and I had gotten to know Chubby and Darren and stuff, so I was a little more in the — I remember being in the clubhouse and stuff and meeting Ernie after he won. Had a little more access then because that have.

But yeah, really good memories coming down here watching. It’s amazing that it’s been 17 years and the tournament hasn’t been back since. Glad to be back and certainly a lot’s changed in the last 17 years since the last time I was here.

Q. You’re working on a few things with Pete Cowen and a couple majors have come and gone. What would be a good second half of the season? You have The Open coming up, the Olympics and The Ryder Cup. What would be a good end of season review if you were looking at it in four months’ time?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, I think getting myself into contention in another major. So getting myself into contention at The Open would be great. I think having a chance to win both the FedExCup and The Race to Dubai; I think they are two pretty good goals of mine I’d like to try to achieve.

And yeah, like have a great Ryder Cup. Obviously that’s very important. There’s a lot of golf to play up until that point, but I’d say they are the main goals. Just give myself a chance at The Open. Give myself a chance in both FedExCup and Race to Dubai, and try to have a really good Ryder Cup.

Q. Thoughts on being back the at Irish Open for the first time since 2018?

Rory McIlroy: It’s feet like three years. A lot has happened since. I played Ballyliffin obviously in 2018. Made the decision not to play in 2019 because I felt like that was the best preparation for The Open at Portrush, and then obviously last year with the pandemic and everything. Things have started to open back up again, so it is nice to be back.

Yeah, it’s been a while. I haven’t been home. I haven’t been back here for nearly a couple years, and that’s the longest time I’ve spent away for a while. But it is, it’s nice to get back. I think if the weather was like this all the time, I’d probably want to come back more.

But it is, it’s great to be back and great to be playing an Irish Open again and got a look at the back nine at Mount Juliet today and it’s a great golf course.

This is the first time back at the Irish Open since you hosted it for four years, and that in itself brought a lot of extra pressure. Do you feel a weight is lifted? Does it feel different coming back to the Irish Open?

Rory McIlroy: A little bit. I think there’s always going to be a bit of added pressure when you come back and play an Irish Open, especially obviously being from here, but also being the favorite for the tournament and all that sort of stuff. So there’s always those sort of pressures. But I feel like as long as I just stick to my game plan and my own expectations and try to get the most out of myself, then that’s all I can do.

But yeah, I’m looking forward to this week. I feel like the Irish Open that I won at The K Club, it’s a pretty similar set up to what it is here. Might be a little firmer this week because of the weather. But decent parkland courses, it’s something familiar to me. It’s what I’ve been playing for the last couple years. Yeah, I feel good about my game.

So yeah, there’s always going to be pressure there. But I think if I just stick to what I’m doing and put my head down, I’ll be okay.

Q. You haven’t played in front of home fans since The Open; I know you’re excited to play in front of fans again since things opened up, but I’m sure this will be extra special this week?

Rory McIlroy: Yeah, it will. I mean, I wish more — it would be great if more fans were allowed in, but I understand that’s not quite possible at this time in this country. But it’s at least nice that we are playing in front of somebody, right.

Whenever we started back last year, when there was no fans allowed, it was a tough atmosphere to play in, and getting used to playing in front of fans again in the States has been really nice. It was great to get that win at Quail Hollow in front of a lot of people and being in contention at the U.S. Open with quite a few people there, as well.

This is a bit of a step back from what we’re used to over the last few weeks, but it’s better than playing in front of nobody.

Q. What did it mean to you to win this historic championship back in 2016?

Rory McIlroy: It meant an awful lot. The Irish Open has been a big part of my career. I first played this event as an amateur in 2005. I went to watch Irish Opens as a kid and I think as well, 2016 with the involvement with the foundation at that point, as well, and raising so much money and then obviously winning and having that prize money go to charity, as well, it meant a lot for a lot of reasons.

Personally it was great to win an Irish Open but also it meant a lot another ways, too, which was very fulfilling.

Q. Give us your impression of the course so far.

Rory McIlroy: It’s good. I think with the weather, it has the potential to become quite fiery over the week, which is going to make it play pretty short. It’s already a short enough golf course by modern standards. But it’s going to be tricky. Fairways are narrow. I think it’s got the potential to become quite fiddly, a lot of like just putting it in position and going from there.

I think if you’re smart, you can play pretty conservative with the par 4s. You can obviously take advantage of the par 5s and make birdie there. But there’s plenty of chances out there, and pretty sure the scoring is going to be pretty low.

Q. How are you feeling about your game coming in?

Rory McIlroy: I’m feeling good. I played well in the U.S. Open. Had a chance on the back nine. Things didn’t go obviously the way I wanted them to but I felt very encouraged walking away and some of the work I’ve been doing with Pete’s really started to bed in. I didn’t really do much last week because I’m on the road five of the next six weeks and just wanted to spend as much time with my family as possible because they are not on the road with me. I think I hit balls one day. So I’m looking forward to getting back into it this week.

Categories
European Tour

Rory McIlroy to tee it up at Scottish Open on European Tour

Rory McIlroy will tee up at the 2021 Scottish Open. (Foto: Getty)

Four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy will bring further star power to a world-class field assembling at the 2021 Scottish Open after confirming he will be one of five players from the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking to tee it up at the Renaissance Club from July 8-11.

McIlroy will make his seventh appearance at Scotland’s national open – and his first since 2019 – as part of a star-studded line-up including World Number One and recent U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm, and the third, fourth and fifth ranked players, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele.

Rahm, the current Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex leader, will go in search of a fifth Rolex Series title when he makes his Scottish Open debut alongside fellow Major winner Morikawa and four-time PGA Tour winner Schauffele, while the 2017 US PGA Championship winner Thomas returns for a second appearance.

World Number 11 Tyrrell Hatton will also look to add to his multiple Rolex Series titles when he tees it up alongside fellow 2018 Ryder Cup stars Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari and Henrik Stenson, the current European Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington, and his newly appointed Vice Captains Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell.

Reigning Race to Dubai Champion Lee Westwood is also confirmed for this year’s event, alongside 12-time European Tour winner Ian Poulter, fellow Englishman and defending champion Aaron Rai and their compatriots Matt Fitzpatrick, Matt Wallace and 2016 Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett, who have 17 European Tour titles between them.

Leading the home charge will be Robert MacIntyre, the highest-ranked Scotsman in the world at 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking, while American stars Billy Horschel, Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris are amongst the players making their debuts as the second Rolex Series event of the 2021 Race to Dubai takes it’s traditional slot in the week before The Open.

A strictly limited number of tickets are on sale now for each of the four Scottish Open competition days. Tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be available on site during the tournament.  To purchase your tickets, click here.

Categories
Highlights Tours

US Masters: Rory McIlroy misses the cut for the first time since 2010

Image: Getty

Many big names won’t be playing this weekend at the Masters. In a brutal first round on drier, firmer conditions than the November Masters last year, many of the most well-known names in golf struggled to turn things around before the end of yesterday’s second round and didn’t make the cut.

Perhaps most notably among these names is Dustin Johnson, who won last year’s Masters event by 5 strokes at a record-breaking 20 under par just six months ago.

But for fan favourite Rory McIlroy, 31, things have been askew long before he accidently hit his own father in the crowd in an errant approach shot on the seventh hole on Thursday.

McIlroy carded and opening round of 76 at Augusta National this and 74 on Friday finishing six over par, missing the cut by three shots.

“He’s starting to doubt himself, confusion in his swing and nobody’s ever played well with a whole lot of thoughts in your head, commented Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley on Sky Sports.

“There’s a lot of work to be done.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 09: Rory McIlroy reacts on the 18th green during the second round of the Masters. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

“I think the best thing for Rory is a few weeks in the sunshine on a beach somewhere and clear his head. Sometimes the harder you try at this game the harder it gets, no matter how talented you are.”

McIlroy himself refused to talk to the press after yesterday’s round.

Follow our live Masters scoreboard to keep up to date.

Categories
Live

Watch: Professionals make Tiger Tributes

Rory McIlroy dressed in Tiger's signature style for the first time in his career on Sunday. (Image: Getty)

A handful of players have been praised for their touching show of support to Tiger Woods, following his car crash last week near Los Angeles.

Those paying respects include LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam.

Official statements given via Twitter report that Tiger is recovering and is in “good spirits” in the Cedars-Cinai Medical Centre, where he has received follow-up treatment on Friday.

READ: Reactions to Tiger Woods’ Accident

However, not all players could participate in Sunday’s tribute, with Max Homa, winner of last week’s Genesis Invitational receiving backlash for having not joined in.

His long time hero, Tiger Woods, host of this year’s Genesis Invitational, handed Homa the trophy last weekend in California.

He defended himself, citing his contractual obligations to wear his pre-packed clothes.

It is expected that the injuries sustained in the crash will have a severe impact on Woods’ future in professional golf.