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DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAINovember 23, 2014Rory McIlroyDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thanks for joining us. Congratulations again. I don't know how many times people have said that to you this week, but Race to Dubai Champion, well done. Rory is tight on time, we'll go straight into questions. Q. What's the overriding feeling, emotion after that round today? Looked like you had quite a few chances earlier on that just slipped by and could have been very different? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it could have been different. But at the same time, I never expected 14‑under to have a remote chance of winning this golf tournament. Yeah, it just seemed like no one really took the tournament by the scruff of the neck and went with it. The two guys, Rafa and Henrik, were on 16 for quite a while, and sort of stayed there. I saw Rafa had went back to 15 as I birdied‑‑ he went back to 15‑under as I birdied 15 to get to 14‑under and I thought if I could post 16, I might have a chance. 16 would have been good enough for a playoff in the end. But yeah, I just didn't play well enough to win this week, and if I had of won by playing like that, it would have been a bit of a surprise. Q. The flipside of that is you finished second not playing particularly well. Is that consistency and these results when you're far from your best one of the things you've taken out of this year? RORY McILROY: It's a really big positive, not just going into next year, but going into the rest of my career. Because in seasons gone by, a bad week for me would have been middle of the pack or if there was a cut, maybe battling to make the cut where now it's okay, I set myself up with a good score on Thursday and I played well. But Friday, Saturday and today weren't quite as good. The level of consistency is there, and I didn't feel like I played great at all today, and still went around bogey‑free, shot 68. It's not too bad. So a lot of positives heading into 2015 and yeah, something I'm really pleased about this year is that consistency that I've shown in my golf. I haven't finished outside the Top‑25. My last few results have been very consistent, very good, and a lot of good stuff going into next year. Q. In terms of ball‑striking, what has been the improvement for the year, when you look back on the whole of the 12 months, what do you think you did better in terms of ball striking this year? RORY McILROY: In terms of ball‑striking, I've driven it better, which is a huge part of my game. When I drive it well, you know, I can take advantage of most golf courses that we play and give myself shorter irons into greens and more opportunities for birdies. But I think my mid‑range putting, or putting from like, when you don't quite hit a very good iron shot and you leave yourself 25 feet, I've been very good from that range this year, which I think has helped. Yeah, my bad shots aren't as bad as they were; instead of it going ten yards off the fairway, it might be in the semi‑rough or whatever. So just the margin for error has been sort of tightened a little bit and it means that I'm hitting more shots from the fairways and giving myself more chances for birdies and shooting better scores because of it. Q. Just wonder your reaction when you got the favourable bounce on 18 and whether you thought, yeah, maybe this is my chance to put a bit of pressure on Henrik? RORY McILROY: Yeah, when I saw‑‑ at first I looked and I was like, no way that's a golf ball, couldn't be my ball. Thought it was maybe a tee that someone had putt for like a drop and then I was like, no, it definitely looks like a golf ball. It was very lucky. It was going in the water, hit a rock; didn't go in. I didn't make birdie and I probably wouldn't have made birdie, anyway, if it had of been in the water. I sort of got what I deserved there on the last. Q. Just looking back to 2012 and to the trophy again this year, obviously there have been a lot of distractions in your life in 2012 onwards, but do you think this year has been really special given all that you had to face and still coming up with this trophy and the PGA TOUR honours? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's been a big learning curve. I feel like, as you said, this year has been full of up‑and‑downs, mainly ups, which is a great thing. You know, I learned a lot from it and I feel like I came through this year stronger and wiser, and I can go into 15 in a much better place. So I'm happy with that. I'm happy with the success that I've had, and I feel like there's been a lot that I've learned this year, as well, and that's a great thing going into the future. Q. This is about half‑asked and answered. The second half of 18, I take it you got up there, found a big skid mark on the side of your ball and the yardage and the club, and what transpired on 18 after the ricochet shot? RORY McILROY: It was a terrible second shot. I was in‑between clubs. I was in between a 3‑iron and a 4‑iron and tried to sort of put up a 3‑iron and just hung it way out right into the grandstands. I left myself a very difficult up‑and‑down. I had to come over the shoulder of sort of the green there. I did well to hit it to ten feet or however far it was. I felt like I hit a good putt. Just under‑read it a little bit. Q. A couple questions if I may. You've got a big week next week, which we talked about already. After the Australian Open, how much of a break will you take, what do you work on in particular with your clubs? How much time do you spend working on clubs‑‑ RORY McILROY: There's more than a couple, Bernie. One at a time. (Laughter). Q. And the last one, when do you think you'll start thinking about Augusta? RORY McILROY: I started thinking about Augusta on the 18th of August when I won the PGA (laughs). Yeah, next week's a big week. I want to go down there and play well and do a good job with defending my title down there. And then after that, I've got a pretty busy week. I'm not playing golf but I've got a few other commitments and things to do. But I'll have a little bit of downtime over Christmas and New Year's, which will be nice. I'll start practising again early on in the new year and getting ready for Abu Dhabi. Equipment‑wise, will I work on much? No. I might tinker around with a new set of irons that I have been playing about with for the last couple months. But apart from that, just keep everything sort of seems to be working right now, so just keep it as is. Just prepare well and get my game and my body in shape for the new season. Q. Shane Lowry made his long‑awaited breakthrough into the world's Top‑5? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I saw that check. Q. How pleased are you for him and do you think it will be such a liberating experience for him and he will go on and build? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's fantastic that he's made the Top‑50. It's going to be his first trip to Augusta, which will be great for him. I think he'll do well around there, because you need a reasonably sharp short game and that's really what his game is based on. He's a great wedge player and putter, so he'll do well around there I would think. But yeah, I remember when I got into the Top‑50, it's a great feeling, it really is. You get to pick and choose your schedule a little bit more. Yeah, you're more in control of everything in terms of yeah, I want to play there; I don't really want to play there; I'll go to the courses that suit me. He's got the freedom to pick and choose where he wants to play, which is great. Yeah, pleased for him. It's a great place to be. Q. I don't think anyone would ever doubt that you should be world No. 1 at the moment. I'm sure you feel you've earned it. Is there anything about being No. 1 that you're uncomfortable with, being constantly the centre of attention or anything like that, or are you just enjoying every minute of it? RORY McILROY: I used to be uncomfortable. There was times when I first, not really, there, was times in‑‑ yeah, you get to the point where there's added scrutiny and there's added criticism or whatever it is. But I learned to deal with it. It's just part of the title now, world No. 1. That's what it comes with. I've become comfortable with it. Look, I've spent more than a year of my career at world No. 1. So if I'm not used to it by now, then there's something wrong. So I obviously enjoy it. It's where I want to be. I want to be the best player in the world and I want to keep it for as long as I possibly can. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Well, Rory, you're not bad at it. Congratulations again on an amazing year. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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