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WGC CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 8, 2015Rory McIlroyMIAMI, FLORIDA Q. Adventurous sort of week? RORY McILROY: Yeah, game's just not quite there. I've got a week off now to try and work on it a little bit. Pretty disappointed with how I played overall. I felt it was a little better again today for the most part. Bit of a disappointing finish. But yeah, just not quite 100 percent. Q. No alarm bells ringing for Augusta? RORY McILROY: My inability to hit the ball right‑to‑left isn't something that you want going into Augusta. Something I want to try and work on a little bit. Q. You only missed three greens today, and it seemed like statistically you played a lot better today? RORY McILROY: Yeah. Statistically, I did, I hit the ball better. Still, it's just not quite as comfortable as I'd like. But yeah, there was much better shots today and there's signs of improvement and signs of encouragement. As I said, I've got this week off now to try to work on the game a bit, and get a little sharper for Bay Hill. Q. You mentioned early in the week being tentative, is that still the case, and if so, why? RORY McILROY: Yeah, tentative, a little bit scared to play certain shots, because I feel like I can't at the minute. So hitting away from flags, trying to make sure that I'm missing it in the right areas. You know, just playing quite conservatively just because‑‑ which is very much unlike me because of the way I usually play. So just got to get back at it tomorrow and try and figure out, you know, what I need to do. Q. J.B. started the day with a big lead; can you talk about the dynamic of how difficult it is to hold a lead? ‑‑ RORY McILROY: You are, but I think the only way to become comfortable in that scenario is from experience. Luckily I've had a little bit of experience at it. You're always‑‑ it's not like you're trying to protect. But I mean, if I would have been in J.B.'s position today, he was at 11‑under, I would have said, right, let's try to get to 15, no one is going to get there. You know, just sort of that's the number that you have in your head instead of looking at everyone else around you and sort of trying to figure out what you actually need to do; if you just set a number in your head, that's for me the best way to approach it. Q. Is that the biggest thing you've learned in your experience? RORY McILROY: Yeah, stay aggressive, definitely. Q. Are you surprised, you obviously played well at the start of the year, and last week happened‑‑ are you surprised at some of the shots you were hitting? RORY McILROY: A little bit, yeah. I mean, JP said to me on the last green, "I think we left our game in the desert." It's still sort of back there. Surprised a little bit. Just some shots weren't‑‑ just very unlike me. And yeah, getting the two‑way miss, double‑crossing it, hitting it left, or hitting that sort of slicy block out to the right, it's not‑‑ if I knew I was missing it one way, it would be a bit easier. But it was just a bit of a struggle this week. Q. Would you say that the 18th hole summarized your weekend? RORY McILROY: Yeah, again you feel like you make some progress and then‑‑ this course, as well. It bites back at you and you give away a couple of shots, and yeah, this course can frustrate you for sure. Q. Was your reaction to Trump before the round giving you the club back and did you put a 14th club back in? ‑‑ RORY McILROY: I put it back in the bag. Yeah, I actually used a 3‑iron to hit into the water for my third shot on 18 (laughter). Q. How did it feel? RORY McILROY: Obviously not very good. No, it was okay. Look, it's fine. We know Donald. He's never one to miss an opportunity (laughter). It was fine. It was good fun. Q. Did you feel like you've got enough golf scheduled in between now and Augusta? RORY McILROY: Yeah, yeah, I have no concerns about that at all. It's not something that I need to play my way out of. It's just something that I need to stand on the range and beat balls until I feel comfortable with it again. Q. Can you pinpoint in your mind what areas you need? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I do. I know what I need to work ongoing forward. Q. Wedge shot has always been natural for you, is it the first time‑‑ RORY McILROY: Not really. I think the last couple of years I've become more comfortable hitting the ball left‑to‑right and I think that's one of the reasons why I did so well last year, the last few years, is my ability to get to sort of back‑right pin positions and hit the ball both ways. But I was always able to do, you know, hit the right‑to‑left shot at will, and now it's just a little bit‑‑ it's not quite as easy. And especially with some of those strong left‑to‑right winds out there, it makes it quite hard. So if I'm really trying to draw it, like the ones on 18, I'll come over it on the right shoulder and come in and it will start left and draw, and that's the one I'm trying to get rid of. Q. Are you feeling more confident today than you were the last two weeks? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I feel a bit better about my game after this week compared to playing two days at Honda. I mean, it has not been all bad. It's a Top‑10 somehow. But I'll move on and I'll practice hard the next sort of‑‑ well, I'll practice hard all week next week and get ready for Bay Hill. Q. Going to Augusta this week, will you put any more emphasis, I know it's a casual round with your dad and friends, but will you put more emphasis‑‑ RORY McILROY: I guess I'll just be trying to hit shots that I need. I'll be hitting a lot of draws, or trying to hit a lot of draws, anyway. Yeah, just playing shots, getting comfortable with the place again. You don't really get Augusta at tournament speed until the week of the tournament, so there's no reason to be trying‑‑ you know, just reacquaint myself, try and play the shots that I'll need and try to get some visuals going into the next couple weeks. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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