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OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

February 6, 2016

Rory McIlroy

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Q. There seems to be an element of Houdini a bit this week. How do you explain what's been happening?
RORY McILROY: I'm not quite sure. I just think I haven't quite figured out the front nine yet. The last two days, I've played the front nine in a combined 5-over par, and that's just not good enough. Obviously I've played the back nine much better.

There is more chances on the back nine and more opportunities for birdies, but you know, there's no reason why I shouldn't be playing better golf on the front nine. That's really what's cost me this week, and depending on what the guys do this afternoon, I'm not sure how far back they will be, but I might be just a few shots too far back to make that up tomorrow.

Q. Yet strange things happen, just as you were making birdie on the last couple holes, the wind was beginning to pick up. Do you think there's still a chance?
RORY McILROY: I'm not sure. It would need to pick up quite a bit more over the next couple of hours. I'm expecting the leaders to get to 14- or 15-under par. Being seven back, it's a tall order. I need to play the front nine much better than I have done the last couple of days. We'll see what happens over the next couple of hours, but I'm obviously very encouraged with how I played the back nine.

Q. How do you feel when people are just picking overall these little things that go wrong?
RORY McILROY: Honestly I don't pay too much attention to it. I know in my mind what isn't up to my standards, what I need to get right. Yeah, as I said, there's a lot to be encouraged about. I've played the back nine this week very well, and I've just played my last nine holes in 6-under par, so there's a lot there to sort of take from that. But at the same time, there's just a few too many mistakes in there that I need to try and figure out why they are happening.

Q. We sense your disappointment, because at the start of the week, you kind of nailed your colours to the mast. You said, "If I'm leaving here without the trophy on Sunday, I'll be disappointed." I think we can sense from you now that it's going to be a long shot?
RORY McILROY: It is going to be a long shot. Again we'll see what happens over next couple of hours and see what the leaders do. I came back from seven shots behind at Wentworth a couple of years ago, so it's not out of the realms of possibility.

But at the same time, you know, it's a great field here, and I need the wind to blow a lot this afternoon and I need to play a front nine tomorrow just like I played the back nine there today, so we'll see.

Q. Can you talk us through that?
RORY McILROY: I actually had a similar shot in the Pro-Am, but I had 274 to the pin there into the wind, so it was a big 3-wood. Another conservative play off the tee obviously. I don't know what to do on that tee now after what happened on Thursday. I think driver mightn't of reached the water today. I knew hitting 3-wood, even though I didn't hit a great 3-wood, if I hit a better 3-wood than I hit yesterday, I knew I would still be able to get up in two.

Q. Right at the limit, the second shot?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was 250 front, so I couldn't miss-hit it, put it that way. But at the same time, I knew if I caught it solid, it was going to be okay. It was going to get up there.

Q. What's your overriding emotion?
RORY McILROY: It's weird, I'm just like -- there's a lot of good stuff in there obviously but mixed in with a lot of crap at the same time. There's not much consistency. There's a lot of good and there's a lot of not so good.

If there was at least something -- if there was one thing that was sort of going wrong all the time, at least you can put your finger on it and sort of have a plan to try to rectify it. But here, it's one minute, I'll miss a tee shot right and the next one, I'll miss an iron shot left. But then I'll play a back nine like I just played there, and I played the last six holes in 4-under yesterday, and I know there's more chances and I can get it close to the 17th and there's par 5s and whatever. But there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to play that golf on the front nine, as well.

Q. Put it down to the fact that it's your second event of the year?
RORY McILROY: Probably. It's so early in the season, and there's, again, I'm encouraged because there's a lot of good stuff in there, but at the same time, there's a bit of not-so-good.

But got one more day here to try to play a good round of golf, and you know, I've got a week off next week, work on a few things and finally get home, home-home, or sort of home in Florida. Spent one night in September, and I haven't been there since June. So it will be nice to get back there and sort of get into some routine where I feel at home and I don't have to really live out of a suitcase so much.

Q. Will there be any change of plan for the front nine, or will you just follow what you've been doing?
RORY McILROY: Not really. It's definitely the tougher nine. You've got an opportunity on two for birdie. You have an opportunity on three. But the rest of the holes on the front nine are pretty tough. I think if you can get it out in two, 2- or 3-under par, you've done very well.

So that's really all you can ask of yourself on that front nine, and that's what I'll try and do tomorrow. Hopefully get off to a faster start than that, we'll see. But if I can, if I do get off to a fast start and maybe shoot 4-under that front nine, I know what I'm capable of on the back nine, we'll see what happens.

Q. Did you give yourself a talking to on the 10th tee or change anything on the back nine?
RORY McILROY: Not really. Again, sort of take comfort in the fact that there is going to be a lot of opportunities in the back nine and just try and stay patient.

Q. What are you looking at most now, the number of bodies ahead of you or the number of shots?
RORY McILROY: I guess you just have to go by the number of shots. If you looked at all the people that are ahead of me, five shots behind sounds better than having to pass -- try and put a positive spin on it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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