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THE 147TH OPEN

July 18, 2018

Rory McIlroy

Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

STUART MOFFATT: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm pleased to see we're joined by the 2014 Open champion Rory McIlroy.

Rory, you must have great memories of Carnoustie, after winning the silver medal as an amateur in 2007. What would it mean to win The Open at Carnoustie and lift the Claret Jug on Sunday?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, lots of great memories. It's great to be back. It doesn't seem like 11 years ago that The Open was here last. Hopefully, as you said, I can create some more good memories this week. I obviously remember that week very fondly for different reasons. I hadn't even turned pro yet and didn't know what to expect or the journey that I was about to embark on.

So to be back and be in a different position, it feels good, and to be talked about as one of the guys that could win, and to already have a Claret Jug is very nice, but obviously I want to add to my collection. It would be nice to win at Carnoustie, where I was able to pick up a silver medal a few years ago.

Q. Rory, there's been a lot of talk about how fast the golf course is, and it takes driver out of your hands, what have you. Can you just fill us in on how you're looking at it? If you do hit some drivers, what are the risks?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I guess the risk of hitting driver on a few holes is not having full control of your golf ball if it does run into the rough. But the amount of gorse bushes that they've taken away from this golf course since 2007, obviously, the fairways are -- you know, they're not necessarily narrow, but they're not too generous either. But even either side of the fairway, you've still got another, you know, five to ten yards either side of the fairway where it's okay.

The rough doesn't -- you know, we haven't been getting many flyers out of the rough this week. So you're still able to get some control of your golf ball. Obviously, if it does go into the rough, you're just trying to land it on the front edge and get it trundling onto the green.

Yeah, I think with links golf, you have to adapt. I think there's not going to be one player in this field that has a game plan on Wednesday night and is going to stick to that game plan the whole way around for 72 holes. It's just not going to happen with wind conditions, with pins. You might -- you start to feel a little bit more comfortable with a few shots, and you might start to take some on.

It's amazing, you look at the last couple of weeks over here playing -- the guys that have played in Ireland and then Scotland, you plan to play the golf course a certain way, but you see guys on Saturdays and Sundays taking way more drivers, way more risks just because they've played the course a couple more times, and they -- you know, they've weighed it up, and you know what, I think this is worth it.

It's going to be really interesting, I think, because the golf course is playing so firm and fast, you'll see guys playing the golf course a completely -- you know, there's some guys that will see it completely different than the way I see it and vice versa. It's going to be really interesting to see how it all plays out.

Q. Hi, Rory. Welcome back to Scotland. Two-part question, two for the price of one: Four years since your last major. Do you begin to feel the pressure building up into another major to perhaps cement your legacy? And secondly, what would it mean to you to be going to Royal Portrush next year as the holder of the Claret Jug?
RORY McILROY: You know, I think at this point I'm not trying to cement anything. Obviously, I've had a decent career up until this point, and I've got a lot of time left to add to major tally or just tournaments won or whatever it is. It's hard to win any week on Tour, let alone the four big ones that we get a year.

Look, I was on a nice run there from 2011 to 2014. I haven't won one since, but I'm trying. I'm trying my best every time I tee it up, and it just hasn't happened. You know, I'll give it a good go this week.

And if I were to head to Portrush with a Claret Jug in my possession, I'd obviously be very happy and be very proud to be the defending champion at a golf course that I know very well and playing in front of home fans.

Geez, if it all worked out like that this week, I'd be one very happy man heading out of here.

Q. Rory, just looking back at 2007 when you see the footage and other things, do you think you can have that kind of hairstyle once again?
RORY McILROY: (Laughing) I probably could. I don't want to, though. A few more grays in it these days. But, yeah, looking back at the pictures, it is, it's funny. It's cool. It's great to look back on. It's good memories. When I looked in the mirror back then, I didn't think it was as big as it was. Anyways, we live and we learn.

Q. Rory, you read the book before Essentialism and you said you learned a few things from there. Do you think now you established the harmony in your life?
RORY McILROY: Depends which day you ask me. No, I think -- look, I think as I went on and I sort of -- I've become more balanced, I guess. I try to see the bigger picture and I try to have some perspective in my life. It isn't all about trying to win golf tournaments and chase titles. There's other things that give me fulfillment as well.

While I do have this career, I'm trying to make the most of it. Yeah, golfers are, you know, touchy at the best of times. So I think it just depends what day you get them on.

Q. Rory, Martin Slumbers was in here earlier talking about the reason why they started testing drivers this week. One, could you confirm if you were one of the guys tested? Two, can you talk about whether there's any concern from a player's standpoint of why they started testing your equipment?
RORY McILROY: No, I wasn't selected. I did have a look at the board and see who was selected. I think there was one manufacturer that was singled out a bit more than anyone else.

Q. Could you tell us who that is?
RORY McILROY: The one that I'm using. And I don't know -- I think -- it's not -- you know, a manufacturer is always going to try and find ways to get around what the regulations are. It's a bit of an arms race. I think there's -- you know, I don't know what his reasons or what Martin said, so I don't -- I understand why they're testing equipment. If there is some drivers out there that have went a little bit over the limit, then, obviously, guys shouldn't be playing them. I think the manufacturers are smart enough to know not to try to push it too much. I'd be very surprised if they found anything this week.

Q. Rory, you mentioned the journey that you've been on. When you look back at the pictures of 2007, is there any part of you that feels quite nostalgic about it, back in the day when life was a little less complicated and you could just sort of go at things with that sort of devil-may-care 18-year-old attitude?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, look, I've alluded to the fact that I think sometimes I need to get back to that attitude where I play carefree and just happy to be here. It was my first Open Championship. I mean, I was just trying to soak everything in, and I was just so grateful to be here. And I think that's a big part of -- you know, I think, if you have -- if you're happy in what you're doing and you're just happy to be here, I feel like a golf tournament is my -- you know, it's where I feel the most comfortable. It's where I feel like I can 100 percent be myself and express myself.

I think sometimes with, you know, the pressure that's maybe put on the top guys to perform at such a high level every week, that starts to weigh on you a little bit. But, yeah, like I look back at those pictures, and the more I can be like that kid, the better.

Q. Just to follow up on that, do you think you put the pressure on yourself, or does everyone else do that for you? And is that maybe a recent phenomenon since Tiger started at a young age and they expect him to keep winning and winning, and maybe people are judging everyone else by Tiger's standards of the past?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, look, I've always said that my performances in the majors at that point, that wasn't the norm. That wasn't my normal level. That was above my normal level, and then you sort of -- you go back down, and then you build yourself back up again. But everything finds its balance. And even the 14 that Tiger won, that wasn't his -- that was him at the peak of his pars, and that was him at his 100 percent best. We're not all going to be like that every single time. There's going to be times where you do struggle with this and with that.

As long as there's points during the year where you can maybe get yourself to that level, then that's great. Yeah, you look at Jordan's had a nice little run; he's won three in three years. I had a nice one; I won four in four. That said, if you continue to do stuff like that, you're going to be one of the greatest of all time, but that's very hard to -- there's only really been one guy that's done it for like a ten-year period where he's won that many, and that was Tiger. What he did -- it was 11 years, and he won 14 major championships. I mean, that is pretty ridiculous in anyone's book.

I'm certainly not expecting to go on that sort of a tear, but as long as I give myself chances and I'm in contention most of the time when I'm playing a major, I feel like, if you put yourself in position enough times, you'll hopefully -- you'll find a way to get it done, and I found a way to get it done four times, and hopefully I find a way to get it done a few more times before I'm finished.

Q. Rory, obviously leaving aside 2015 for obvious reasons, your record in The Open is actually first, fifth, and fourth the last three appearances. How much confidence does that give you going into this week?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I was -- surprising a little bit that my best form in major championships has been this tournament, but at the same time, I've grown up on these courses, and I'm comfortable on them. I think going to courses on The Open rota that I've played quite a lot, I think that helps. You have a comfort level with the golf course. You've built up enough experience to know where to hit it and where not to hit it.

Yeah, it's been a good run. Since 2010, I couldn't wait to play The Open at St. Andrews. I thought that was one of my best chances to win a major. I did something slightly silly a couple of weeks before, and I'll have to wait a few more years to get my chance there.

Yeah, my form's been good in The Open. I've played well. Even the fifth and the fourth the past couple years, I haven't -- Phil and Henrik were so far ahead of everyone else at Troon, and I was on the fringes of contention when Jordan made that bad start last year at Birkdale, but I made bogey on 15, and that really sort of stopped me in my tracks.

But I've played well. You know, I feel like I've developed and I've grown as a links player, and that's helped as well. I've added a few shots and a few things to my game that have helped over the last few years. So hopefully, I can keep that run going this year, and maybe just get myself a little bit closer to being right in the mix on Sunday.

Q. Hi, Rory. Looking back to '07, happy times here, you found yourself behind the 18th green playing with little Paddy Harrington while the playoff was going on. What do you remember of that?
RORY McILROY: I think I saw Paddy today walking with Padraig. He's massive now. It's so funny thinking back on that day. Mixed emotions. Sergio was one of my favourite players growing up, and he hadn't won a major at that point. Obviously, Padraig is from back home. I honestly didn't know who I wanted to win at that point. I think I was okay with either winning. It was tough the way Sergio lost. And I remember just after turning pro I went to Padraig's house, and he had the Claret Jug sitting on the Kitchen table with the ladybirds coming out of it.

Yeah, good memories. Obviously, I don't have any kids yet, but hopefully, there's a young amateur this week that's waiting behind the 18th green on me, and I'm the one that's coming up there and trying to win the tournament.

Q. Rory, if I were to ask you to describe Jordan first as a person and second as a player, please, what would you say?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I was going to say a better person than he is a golfer, but that sounds like I'm discrediting him. Yeah, but he's a wonderful person. Or just as good a person as he is a golfer, I guess, because he's obviously one of the best players in the world and one of the best players that's came out over the last few years.

But I think his upbringing, his mom and dad, his siblings, just everything about him is class. You know, it's pure class. I've gotten to know Jordan a little bit more over the past -- I guess the past couple of years. Our partners have got pretty close, Annie and Erica. So we spent a little bit more time together, and the more you get to know him, the more you realise he is the real deal on and off the golf course.

He's had a fantastic start to his career, and he's probably the one guy that, whenever I see him on the board, I look out for more than the rest because it doesn't matter what he does, where he hits it, he's so tenacious, and he gets it done. You look at Birkdale last year, and coming back from what happened at Augusta the year previous, he's got a lot of fortitude. He's a great golfer and a great person.

Q. Rory, if we can go back a minute to those major runs, your four in four years and Jordan's three in three years, what keeps it from going? Is it more on you as the player? Is it more on the field? If you were to have a massive run like that, do you risk losing any kind of balance in life?
RORY McILROY: I think it's a combination of both. It's the more success you have, the more pressure you either put on yourself because of expectations that that's what you -- that's your level, and that's what you need to attain the whole time. But also, I think the fields in golf have become that much deeper. Even this week, there's 156 guys in the field, and there's probably over half of them that have a realistic chance of winning this golf tournament. Look, I didn't play in the previous eras, but I don't think there was that many. I don't think there's as many as half the field that had a realistic chance to win the golf tournament. So I think it's a combination of both.

I don't know if you -- no, I think, if you put things in perspective and you have other things in your life, I think that's where the balance comes from because, as long as -- you know, you could have as much success on the golf course as you want, but as long as you return to your friends or your family who just love you for you and don't care if you've won a Claret Jug or not, that's what life's about, and that's the important thing. It's having good people around you.

But, look, I got on that run in '14, and I didn't get carried away, but you carry yourself more when you're world No. 1 and you feel really good about yourself, but you need to have people around you who can knock you down a peg or two at times.

Q. (No microphone).
RORY McILROY: I'm a bit over -- I'm very confident in myself on the golf course. I try to limit it to there. Just because I'm a great golfer doesn't mean that I should stand before you in a line in the shop. So sort of, as soon as I walk off the golf course, I'm just the same as anyone else.

Q. Rory, a couple years ago when Nike got out of the equipment business, it seemed like you were really relishing being a free agent and kind of having the freedom to pick whatever combination you want in any given week. What ultimately made you decide to give it up?
RORY McILROY: There's too much out there. You know, I started testing in Dubai at the end of '16, and it's like I literally had 25 boxes of golf clubs in front of me thinking this is -- where do you go from there?

Look, there's a lot of great manufacturers out there that spend a lot of money in research and design. They're not going to make bad stuff. There's tiny little margins here and there between the equipment companies. I ended up just going with what worked best for me. It was more the golf ball than anything else. I really like the Nike golf ball, but then once I found the golf ball that I'm playing now, that was sort of the thing that did it for me.

Yeah, there's just so much out there, and I think to really give every single golf club a chance and every single golf ball a chance, I probably wouldn't have started my season until about April. So there's just so much out there. So I needed to make a decision, and it made my life a lot easier by just going with one single manufacturer.

Q. Rory, you obviously want to win here, and it's a big thing, but given how important the Grand Slam is to you, is there, in a way, a little less riding on this than when you get to Augusta?
RORY McILROY: No, it's still one of the biggest four tournaments of the year. No, it's just as big. I won't feel any less nervous on the 1st tee tomorrow than I would at Augusta or at Shinnecock this year or at Bellerive coming up. At this level, it's what we're going to be judged on ultimately. I try to treat them all the same. Easier said than done when April comes around, but that's how I try to approach it.

Q. Rory, what you said about trying to be that kid again back in '07, could you maybe expand on that and what the challenge or difficulty of that is now at 29?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I guess I've talked about it a little the last couple of weeks where -- it was actually nice playing with Jon Rahm because the first instinct he has is get up on a tee box and pull a driver out of the bag. Not think about the trouble or think about anything. Just, this is where I want to hit it, and this is where I want to go.

I just think, as you get a little older, you get a little more cautious in life. I think it's only natural. I think it's more of that. It's more of playing with the freedom and, you know, almost like a -- I don't want to say naive, but there is something nice about being young and being oblivious to some stuff. And I think that I remember back to when -- when we last played The Open here, and, again, look, I was just happy to be here. I was bouncing down the fairways, didn't care if I shot 82 or 62. I was just happy to be here.

The more I can get into that mindset, the better I'll play golf.

Q. Rory, with Ryder Cup around the corner, how important is it to arrest the American stranglehold on the majors?
RORY McILROY: I mean, obviously, with the Americans dominating the individual tournaments, that sort of gives them confidence going into the Ryder Cup. Yeah, I don't -- look, there could be two American players could win the next two majors, and Europe could win the Ryder Cup.

Look, they've got such -- it's young. They have so much depth. If it's not Jordan, it's Justin. If it's not Justin, it's Brooks. If it's not Brooks, it's Patrick. If it's not Patrick, it's Dustin. So it's not -- there's so many great players, and it just seems like, at this point in time, they're all playing really good golf at the same time. It's going to be tough. It's going to be tough to beat them this week. It's going to be tough to beat them in France. And that's just the way it is.

Europeans had their nice little run a few years ago, and I just think these things work in cycles. Right now all these guys are playing really good golf, and they're some of the best players in the world and deservedly so, and they're going to take some beating.

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