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WGC CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 5, 2015Rory McIlroyMIAMI, FLORIDA Q. How important was that stretch on your back nine? RORY McILROY: It was really important. Just another day where I didn't get off to the greatest of starts. Just couldn't really get anything going again. Still felt a little bit tentative out there on the front nine, and then being 4‑over after the turn, I was sort of like, there's not much else to lose, go ahead and try and be aggressive. Hit some better shots on the way in, and it looks like something around even par isn't going to be that bad today. Yeah, I mean, it was important to make some birdies on the way in and obviously that eagle helped, as well. Do a little bit of work this evening on the swing and then get at it tomorrow and hopefully get off to a better start. Q. Talk about the difficulty of this course and how it's changed from last year. RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's definitely playing softer. I was struggling to get the ball to the hole. So they have definitely softened it up a little bit but it's still‑‑ the margins are so small. I could have‑‑ a couple more feet to the left, my ball on 8, instead of having a putt for eagle, I'm probably going to be making bogey, struggling for par anyway. The margins are so small on this golf course, and at times, I felt last year it was a little unfair because of how firm the course was. But this year, it's a little better. It's softer and the greens received shots a little bit better. But it is, it's playing tough. I think it's a golf course that's designed for a ten‑mile‑an‑hour wind and usually you get a 20‑mile‑an‑hour wind here. It's a tough test. Q. 18, one of the tougher‑‑ RORY McILROY: Yeah, they moved the tee up for us today, so it wasn't too bad. But that front right hole location is probably one of the toughest on the green because there's not much room to land your ball. You don't want to bail out right because it's a really tough bunker shot, and obviously left is dead, as well. So you need to hit a pretty good shot in there, and I didn't, and ended up making 6. Q. Kind of explain the feeling of tentativeness starting out‑‑ RORY McILROY: No, not really, because I felt tentative last week, as well. I think it's just a matter of playing my way back into some sort of rhythm‑‑ it felt much better on the second nine. So just a matter of staying positive and staying aggressive and making good, committed swings. Q. You seem a wee bit, not dejected, but you seem a wee bit cheesed off, is thatcorrect? RORY McILROY: Yeah, because it is very good on the range and it is very good in normal play and I'm not playing a tournament. Then I've got a card in my hand the last couple weeks and it just hasn't quite been there. Like I said, it's nice you can get four rounds this week and sort of try to play your way into some sort of rhythm. I don't feel like it's that far away. That's the frustrating thing. I feel like there's stretches of holes like on that front nine where three birdies and an eagle in the space of five holes; I know that it's in there. It's just all the other stuff, and then I was a little wasteful around the greens. Seemed like every green I missed today, I wasn't able to get up‑and‑down and that's not going to help either. Q. 25th here last year‑‑ RORY McILROY: Look, the way I played last week and the first round today, it obviously is still very early days in the season. As I said, I feel pretty comfortable with my game. It's just a matter of going out there and being able to show it rather than just on the range and at home. Q. What happened on the second on 18? RORY McILROY: I was sort of caught in between shots. I had a 7‑iron and I felt like the wind was into off the right. I was trying to sort of hold it up against the wind but I felt like the wind was quite strong, and if I didn't get enough on it, it could come up short. So sort of trapped it a little bit than I wanted to, squared up the clubface and it went left. Q. Is confidence any factor in this mini‑bad streak? RORY McILROY: A little bit. I mean, it's tentativeness. I wouldn't say‑‑ I mean, you know, four rounds ago, I was winning a golf tournament. It's not like it's not‑‑ it shouldn't be confidence. I've played well already this year. But I guess just finding my own little groove to try and get back in, that's something that I was‑‑ only played two rounds last week. As I said, I've got four this week but feel like it's very close. It's close to where I could go out tomorrow and shoot a low number and get myself back in the tournament. Q. You just won four rounds ago; do you understand the scrutiny that's placed upon you, when you shoot 1‑over, as opposed to other players when they shoot 1‑over? RORY McILROY: Yeah, yeah, I do. I guess I realize what's expected of me. I expect a lot from myself, but you know, shooting 1‑over par out there today isn't too bad. It's obviously not what I wanted. But no reason to panic and no reason to be alarmed. Just go out tomorrow and put some red numbers on the board and try and get myself back in it. Q. Do you draw satisfaction from being able to turn it around mid‑round as you did? RORY McILROY: Yeah, to be 4‑over through nine, 4‑over through 12, actually, and get back to have a chance to shoot something around even par, bogeyed the last, but felt like a good bogey in the end. So make a bit of a comeback like that was nice. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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