Tag: professionals-rory-mcilroy

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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.

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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.

Categories
Fun

How it Started vs. How it’s Going: 5 players then and now

Rory McIlroy signing an Autograph for a very keen young fan in Abu Dhabi, 2013. (Image: Getty)

It’s Friday and January 2021 is almost over. Woohoo! Between the pandemic and the lockdowns, it’s been a long and hard winter so far.

So, despite all that, we wanted to give you something that might make you smile for a second. At Golf Post, we’re dipping our toes in to the wonderful (and at times, terrifying) world of meme culture.

We’re a little late to the game with this one, but here we go with our favourite European Tour players’ throwbacks. These hilarious pictures are perfect if you need a little cheering up.

Let us know on Twitter @golf_post which one was your favourite!

Categories
European Tour

McIlroy off to a perfect start in Abu Dhabi

McIlroy is trying for his first win in Abu Dhabi (Image: Getty)

Round One Report:

Rory McIlroy got his season off to the perfect start as the Northern Irishman carded a stunning eight under 64 in the opening round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first Rolex Series event of the 2021 Race to Dubai.

The four-time Major winner is still chasing his maiden victory at the prestigious tournament, despite a remarkable record which includes four runner-up finishes, three third place finishes, a top five and a top 15. But his opening 64 was his lowest ever round in 11 appearances at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

McIlroy carded two birdies in the opening three holes, having teed off at the par five tenth which he duly birdied, and coasted to six more in a flawless round which left him one stroke clear at the top.

McIlroy: ” I knew 65 is the best I’ve shot here and I’ve shot it a few times, so I thought let’s try to go one better on the next nine and I was able to do that. Maybe played slightly better on our front nine, but I holed some really nice putts coming in for birdie s. It was obviously a lovely way to start the year.

Leading the chasing pack was three-time Rolex Series winner Tyrrell Hatton, who signed for a seven under 65 which included a pair of eagles in his first nine holes – opening his account for the season with a three at the tenth before picking up another eagle at the ninth.

Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti was a shot further back on six under, while Frenchman Romain Langasque and Rafa Cabrera-Bello of Spain shared fifth place on five under. Defending champion and reigning Race to Dubai champion Lee Westwood opened with a three under 69.

Play was suspended due to darkness with round one set to restart at 7:40am local time.

(Text: European Tour Press Release)

Categories
European Tour

McIlroy aiming to get the job done in Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlory begins his 2021 season with high ambitions. (Photo: Getty)

Four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy hopes to continue his strong run of form at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as he starts his 2021 season at the first Rolex Series event of the year.

In ten appearances  the Northern Irishman has finished runner-up three times and third on three further occasions, admitting that he has done “everything but win” around Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The 31-year-old is no stranger to success in the Middle East, claiming four of his 14 European Tour titles in the United Arab Emirates as well as winning the Race to Dubai three times.

McIlroy will begin his campaign in the company of defending champion and reigning European Number One Lee Westwood, and  World Number Three Justin Thomas. The 2017 US PGA Championship winner admits he has been an avid viewer of the tournament in the past as he prepares to make his first appearance in the Middle East.

Former champion Tommy Fleetwood will go in search of a third win in the space of five years at this event. After a near three and a half year wait for his second European Tour title, Fleetwood won the 2017 edition which he then successfully defended the following year. In 2020, he finished runner-up to Westwood.

Rory McIlroy: “It’s good to be back. I started my season in Abu Dhabi from 2008 to 2018 and it’s worked well for me. It’s a golf course I’ve done well at and played well on. I’ve done everything but win here and yeah, I’ll try again and see if I can get the job done.

“I enjoy playing in the desert, this style of golf. Obviously last year was a different year and I really didn’t travel back over this part of the world and play at all. But now with things, it’s still obviously not where we want it to be, but I think we know a little bit more about what’s going on in terms of how the virus is and how it affects you or how it doesn’t affect you in many cases and feel a little more comfortable traveling.

“It’s great to be out here and playing. It’s a great way to start the year. It’s a big event. Got some great players here. Obviously J.T. has made the trip over, as well. The start of our Ryder Cup points starting again, so a lot of guys will want to start well and get themselves off to a fast start in regards to that, too.”

Justin Thomas: “I’m very excited. This is a tournament and a place that I’ve watched on TV many times back home and it’s an unbelievable place. You know, it’s even nicer being on a Troon property for me, a partner that I have and I’m very close with, and it’s an unbelievable course. It’s in immaculate shape.

“It definitely is going to help driving it well. It seems like a course that if you’re driving the ball well, you have the opportunity to make a lot of birdies. The greens are pretty soft and they are in very good shape to where if you put the ball in the right place on the greens, you can make a lot of putts and really go low. That’s kind of been our priority here this week is just figuring out lines, figuring out shots and what I want to hit off the tees.”

Tommy Fleetwood: “I think it’s a great way to start the year. Everybody seems to like coming out to the Middle East just after Christmas and New Year, do some practise, and you come out here and you have some great tournaments to start the year.

“It was never really a course that gave me much pleasure, really. I missed a lot of cuts to start off with and all of the sudden in 2017, things kind of turned around and I started hitting good golf shots around the golf course. I’ve been on a lovely run in this event.”

Text: European Tour Press Release

Categories
Highlights Tours

Rory McIlroy: “He’s been knocking on the door for so long”

Photo: Getty

Question: If you could wave a magic wand, what area of your game would you improve overnight?
RORY McILROY: My iron play. Yeah, my iron play hasn’t been great since coming back from the lockdown. It sort of goes right through the bag. It goes from wedges all the way through to the long irons. I had two 5 irons from the fairway on 10 and 11 today, for example, and just didn’t hit great shots. It’s something to there’s always stuff to work on, but definitely something to work on going into the off season that we have here, and try to come out a little better in 2021.

Q: As you’ve had a little more time to reflect on what happened Thursday, what went wrong?
RORY McILROY: Again, I said yesterday, I just got a little careful, a little tentative, a little guidey, just didn’t trust my swing, didn’t commit to what I was doing, and again, this course more
than any other can make you do that at times. That was really what it was.
The first day I actually did okay. I was even par. It wasn’t even par through 9 here is not that bad, and then just that second morning I just didn’t quite have it. I guess I need to take the
positives, and played the last 54 really well and only made two bogeys in that 54 hole stretch, which is probably the best run of golf I’ve played here.

Rory McIlroy: “I miss the fans a lot”

Q: What did you miss the most this week, just the difference of playing in November?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, the atmosphere, the crowds, the patrons, the feelings that you normally have here that you didn’t quite have. More than any other week of the year I feel like you’re nervous a little more often, and it didn’t quite have that. Not saying it’s a bad thing; I loved the feeling of being relaxed out there and it’s something I probably need to try to adopt
going into five months’ time.

Q: Do you think there’s any advantage to coming right back here in April?
RORY McILROY: Yeah I mean, look, I hope the course is much different in April than it is now. It’s very soft. It’s very I feel like there’s a lot of shots I hit this week where I hit my number and
it would spin back off a green or it just wouldn’t do what you expect it to do, so I’d love to get another shot at it in April and have the course play maybe more what we’re accustomed to.

Q: You’re obviously a multiple major champion. What do you think this is going to mean to Dustin?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, he’s been knocking on the door so long, and I think, again, since coming back out of sort of back in June, the lockdown, he has been by far the best player in the world. He’s won a few times, won a FedExCup, had a chance at Harding Park. And I think, yeah, it validates what he did at Oakmont a few years ago and he’s had so many chances and hasn’t quite been able to close the deal, but his resume speaks for itself, how many times he’s won on the PGA TOUR, how consistent he’s been. I played with him the first two days here. He’s got the ball on a string. It was really impressive.

Q: What are you going to do this off season to kind of get away from golf and reboot? Any TV shows you’re going to catch up on?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, not particularly. I don’t know. I’m just going to be a man of leisure for a couple months. It’s going to be nice. Lie by the pool a little bit, get back on the bike, get back
on the Peloton. I’ve sort of given that a bit of a miss over the last few months. Yeah, just some stuff. Obviously watch my daughter grow up a little bit and have fun with that. But yeah, I’ll try
to get away from it, but yeah, as I said before, there’s certainly some stuff in my golf game that I want to work on before next year.

Q: Is there anything in DJ’s personality from your close interaction with him or traveling with him that you’ve seen of him that maybe we don’t that maybe you could share?
RORY McILROY: He’s smarter than you think.

Q: How so?
RORY McILROY: He’s switched on, more so than he lets on, more so than everyone in the media thinks. I’ll just put it that way.

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Team Ireland

US Open 2020 – Rory McIlroy: “I’m feeling pretty good that I’ve got a good chance tomorrow.”

MAMARONECK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 19: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland waits to putt on the first green during the third round of the 120th U.S. Open Championship on September 19, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Q. Rory, 2-under 68; how are you feeling about your round today?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, really good. Geez, I think anything under par on this golf course today is a really good score. I saw Alex go out there and shoot 3-under earlier. You know, I’m not saying it’s out there; he got a good one, I did, and there’s maybe a couple other guys that are under par. Yeah, and the wind is not quite as strong as it was yesterday. You know, it maybe played a touch less difficult I’ll say. Not easier, but it was a little less difficult.

But some of the hole locations are still pretty tricky and got to leave yourself on the right side. But yeah, overall 68 out there is a really good score. I don’t know where that’s going to leave me at the end of the day, but I’m feeling pretty good that I’ve got a good chance going into tomorrow.

Q. When you’re in a little bit of a chasing position as you are right now, what kind of conditions are you kind of hoping for or half hoping for tomorrow?

RORY McILROY: It’s sort of a double-edged sword, right, because you would think that you’d want tougher conditions because it’ll make it more difficult for the guys in front of you, but also makes it more difficult for yourself. I think looking at the forecast, the conditions are going to be pretty similar to today, which is fine. If I go out there tomorrow and shoot another 68, I won’t be too far away.

Q. Kind of along those lines, depending on how the next few hours work out, is there a number in your head based on how difficult this golf course is that you feel like legitimately I could come back from?

RORY McILROY: I mean, around here, anything. Not necessarily anything, but I said over there, if Matt pars his way in and is 5-under par, I still don’t think that’s out of it by any stretch of the imagination. You know, it doesn’t take much around here for — someone gets off to a decent start, maybe 1- or 2-under through 5 and then the leader goes the other way, 1- or 2-over through 5, and all of a sudden you’re right in the thick of things.

But yeah, we’ll see what happens. No matter where I am at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve got a pretty good shot.

Q. Is yesterday’s round a little harder to swallow after today?

RORY McILROY: No, not really. I mean, I felt like I finished the round well yesterday. I was sort of hemorrhaging after like 12 or 13 holes, and then to just par my way in, right, so 14 through 18, so five in a row, just to get it in the clubhouse, sort of regroup, and then I sort of started the same way today. I parred the first five, first six holes, made a birdie on 7, made another birdie on 9, so played a really nice stretch of holes there from the 14th last night to the 9th today. I played those holes in 2-under par and didn’t make a bogey in that stretch.

You’re going to have stretches in U.S. Opens where you’re going to make bogeys and you’re going to make mistakes, but if you can back it up with stretches of golf like I showed there, that’s what you have to do. It’s not going to be all plain sailing in this tournament.

Q. Given how hard you had to work to get 68, how surprising is it to look up at the board and see somebody with a 30 on the front?

RORY McILROY: Is that what it was, a 30?

Q. Yeah, missed probably about an eight-footer for 29.

RORY McILROY: Wow. I mean, that’s just — you can’t say anything but that’s just awesome golf. Yeah, I mean, everyone knows how talented Matt is and he played great at Harding Park in the last major. You know, he’s explosive like that. He can get on runs like that. So yeah, I’m not saying it’s out there. I certainly didn’t see shooting 30 on any nine today, but we’ll see what happens over the back nine.

Q. If Matt is leading tomorrow, do you think it helps him to not have to try to win a major with a massive crowd around him in the same way that Morikawa didn’t have to face the crowd at Harding Park?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, of course. Of course, yeah. It’s one variable that you just don’t have to deal with, where — is that a loss of an advantage to you who’s accustomed to being in that environment.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think it could be, a little bit. Maybe not a loss of an advantage to me, but just more of a — just makes it a touch easier for the guys at the top. Even today, look, you’ve got Bryson and P-Reed out in the final group, and any other U.S. Open final grouping you’ve got those two guys, things are going to be said and tempers are going to flare. Even if those guys don’t have to deal with that today, it just makes it a little different and maybe a touch easier if you’re in those final few groups.

Q. Do you have a simple explanation for why it hasn’t been the massacre that many expected going into this week?

RORY McILROY: I mean, I guess what’s a massacre? Yeah, okay, 5-over is not going to win like last time and 7-over when Hale Irwin won. I’d say the golf course is playing just as difficult.

You know, you’ve got to think 14 years on the game has changed a lot, guys hit it further, equipment. There’s a lot of different things that — scoring averages have went down a little bit, on average. The game has just moved on a little bit and everyone has collectively, I think, just got a little bit better.

Q. You mentioned just earlier the first three or four holes and how difficult they are and just hoping to kind of get through those unscathed. Can you talk more about what that’s going to mean for you tomorrow and just getting off to a good start?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, fairways and greens. It’s literally just bringing it back to the basics. From that first tee shot, just try and make a good swing and hit the fairway, hit it on the middle of the green, take two putts, especially on that green because it’s probably one of the craziest greens on the course and in golf. And then it’s the same thing on 2, hit the fairway, hit the green. You get yourself out of position those first few holes, it just makes it really difficult.

And when you do get yourself out of position, making bogey is fine. That’s the thing, you look at some of the guys that went off earlier today those first few holes there was some big numbers made, and when you’re in trouble, get it out, play for a 5, and if you’re not going to putt for a 4, that’s a bonus.

Q. The course is playing about a shot easier today. Do you attribute that more to the gentler winds or the hole locations were more gettable?

RORY McILROY: No, the wind more than anything else. The hole locations today I thought were pretty tricky. It was hard to leave a putt dead. Even if you’ve got a putt that’s uphill, once it gets past the hole it starts to go downhill again. It was very hard to leave putts within top-in range. I felt like every time I hit a good putt that didn’t go in, I was marking it and resetting and it was at least three or four feet.

Source: ASAP Sport