	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP

January 18, 2018

Rory McIlroy

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Q. How does it feel to get your first tournament round under your belt?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was nice. I sort of knew what I was expecting out there but at the same time, you never really know. First competitive round in over a hundred days, so it's a little bit different. But I did well. I stayed patient. I gave myself loads of chances and started the day with 11 straight pars, so I was trying to stay as patient as possible, so it was nice to birdie three of the last seven there and get in under 70.

Q. And you looked very comfortable out there. How was the swing?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, good. Really pleased, actually. I played very solid. I think only missed one or two greens, so gave myself plenty of chances. Drove the ball well. Iron play was pretty good. So just need to keep doing that over the next three days and I should have a chance.

Q. Sometimes par is a good score, and you did go through a crazy par start, what changed in the final few holes?
RORY McILROY: I don't know, I think just getting that first birdie was nice. Held a nice putt on 3 for birdie there which was our 12th hole, and then rattled off a couple more and gave myself a lot of chances straightaway.

Just sort of once I got a little bit of momentum going, I could go with it, and as I said, I think after the start and parring so many holes, anything under 70 was pretty good.

Q. On the 15th, you were joined by little Oscar, very pleased to get inside. Take us through that.
RORY McILROY: Got inside Tommy and Dustin. So Oscar lives here. He's been following me, because he's from Northern Ireland, he's been following me since the 2011 PGA Championship in Atlanta and he's like every round I play here, I feel like he's my little mascot. He's waiting at the back of every green and every tee box.

Was a little surprised to see him on the tee there. I didn't expect him to be inside the ropes today but he hit a really great shot, a really good little swing, one for the future.

Q. How was it out there?
RORY McILROY: It was nice. I was excited to get going. The last couple of months have been really nice in terms of being able to concentrate on things I needed to work on in my game and things I needed to work on health-wise and all that sort of stuff.

So feel like I'm nearly the most prepared for a season that I've ever been, so those couple of months were nice. It was nice to get back out there and it was a great pairing to start off with with Dustin and Tommy out there. Tommy obviously played very well and I was just trying to hang on to his coattails for most of the round. Really pleased. Bogey-free, 69, can't really complain.

Q. How important was your temperament on the golf course?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I stayed patient. I started off with 11 pars and could have been a lot better than that. I tried to stay as patient as possible. But when it's the first day back in the year, it's easier to stay patient. So I was just trying my best and trying to hit a good shot every time I could and trying to hit good putts even if they weren't going in, just move on to the next hole and try to do the same thing. I was proud of myself the way I hung in there.

Q. Last night or this morning, did you feel nervous or apprehensive in any way, or different in any way, like a comeback?
RORY McILROY: Comeback, not really a comeback. Yeah, I had a few months off, but it wasn't as if I was coming back from a year or something.

I was probably a little nervous on the first tee. I had no problems last night or this morning. That was all fine. But yeah, I was just excited to get going. It's another season, a season that I feel like I'm as prepared for as any season I've started as a professional.

Yeah, it was a great pairing to go out with, with Dustin and Tommy. Tommy had one of the best years out of anyone last year, winning The Race to Dubai and having a few wins. DJ is obviously No. 1 player in the world. So to see where I'm at compared to where they are, it was nice to see that, as well. Yeah, it was a good day.

Q. Pleased more with the score or how you played?
RORY McILROY: I think both. With how I played I could have shot a better score but after reeling off 11 pars in a row, I feel like I'm proud of myself to hang in there and just make those three birdies in the last seven holes and get in bogey-free, as well, no mistakes, played very solid, very smart. It was a good round of golf. It could have been better but I'll take it.

Q. You showed great patience. Was that as pleasing as anything, especially after a 3-putt?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I was staying patient. I wasn't trying to force the issue, even though the guys were a little bit ahead of me and whatever and Tommy had gotten to 4-under pretty quickly.

Look, it's the first day of a long year hopefully, so it's just a matter of just trying to hit good shots and try to hole putts and move on to the next and do the same thing. I guess not that I didn't have any expectations but I think going out there and just more of a, not learning, but just we'll see how it goes, having that attitude, it definitely helped, as well.

Q. Was there a shot in particular out there today that you felt from what you've been doing in the break you really benefitted from?
RORY McILROY: I think everything. I hit a couple of loose iron shots early on but then I sort of found my rhythm a little bit and started to hit some good shots. I took a bit of yardage off a couple of iron shots and knocked a couple down which was really nice to see. Hit a lovely little 6-iron into the 16th which was a nice shot.

Yeah, I felt like my swing was under control and I was able to hit every shot that I needed to.

Q. Did you miss one fairway?
RORY McILROY: I think I missed one green. I think I missed a few more fairways than that but I missed one green. It was a nice round of golf.

Q. Is the expectation the same to win?
RORY McILROY: My expectation coming into this week was that I could win, but I think after the first day, seeing where my game's at and playing alongside two of the most in-form players in the world right now, I feel like I'm not that far away.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297