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THE 147TH OPEN

July 22, 2018

Rory McIlroy

Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

Q. Just came up a little bit short today.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, not really frustrated. I played well. I could have squeezed one more out of the round today. When I made the eagle on 14, it was tough to get close on 15, 16, and 17. The only real chance was at the last. Came out of the wedge a little bit, but still left myself a putt where it was holeable.

But, look, I think anything under par out there today was a good score. I'm happy with how I played. I didn't get off to a great start, but I hung in there, and I battled back. Just sort of ran out of holes at the end.

Q. When did you think you were back in it?
RORY McILROY: When that putt went in on 14. And even -- maybe when I made birdie on 11. I saw that Tiger was leading on his own at 7 at that point. I had just gotten to 5. So two behind with a few holes left, I thought I was right in it.

But, yeah, when the eagle putt went in on 14, I felt, if I could get one or two out of these last four holes, but it was just tough. Where they'd put the pins and with the winds, it was tough to get them close and tough to make birdies, and as I said, the only real chance was at the last. And even if I had held that putt, I would have come up one short.

Q. Did you enjoy being part of what was a thrilling afternoon at The Open?
RORY McILROY: It was great, just to be a part of it and hear the roars. Tiger being back in the mix. You know, everything. There's a lot of big names up there. It was nice to be a part of it. For a while, I thought Tiger was going to win. My mindset was go and spoil the party here.

It was cool. It was really cool. I have no regrets. I played the way I wanted to play this week. It gives me a lot of encouragement going into the final major of the year.

Q. How cool will this event be being in Northern Ireland next year?
RORY McILROY: I can't wait. It would be nice to go in there with a Claret Jug. It's my third, fourth top five in a row at this tournament. So I play this tournament well. I have done for the last few years now, and I'm excited to play an Open Championship at Portrush. That will be unbelievable.

Q. Do you feel like you young guys are going to deal with Tiger now for a few years?
RORY McILROY: Yeah. I mean, not Tiger that, you know, Phil and Ernie and those guys had to deal with. It's a different version. But he's right there. He's right there. He's getting himself in the mix. He looked good in D.C. a couple weeks back. He's looked good here.

I'm not sure if that finish is going to get him into Akron or not. He's played a full schedule. He's healthy. I wouldn't say we're worried about him, but he's one of those guys that's always in with a shot.

Q. You said that you want to go down swinging, and there's honour in this defeat in the majors. Is that the way you feel about it?
RORY McILROY: I don't really feel like it's a defeat. I feel like it's a good week. One guy out of 156 is going to win. 155 other guys are going to leave a little disappointed.

But, yeah, I committed to everything. I hit the shots when I needed to. I made good swings on 17 and on 18. You know, it just wasn't -- I just ran out of holes.

Q. In the scenario in which you ran out of holes, what are you taking from this? Clearly, this is a good major for you. There haven't been brilliant majors for you. The Masters was good but not right until at the end. This was pretty much good until the end.
RORY McILROY: I hung in there. I did what I needed to do. I had some clutch putts coming down the stretch. So I'll look back at this week and be very encouraged about what I've done, and the golf that I played, and I feel like that will stand me in good stead for what's coming up.

Q. A lot of people across the world probably are becoming familiar with Francesco Molinari. Assuming he finishes this off, what would you like to say to the world about this guy?
RORY McILROY: He's always been a great player. I think he's just -- with how he's played this year, there's just maybe a little more belief. I played with him the final day at Wentworth, where he won, and he didn't miss a shot. So there's going to be a lot of European guys vying for his partnership in the foursomes at the Ryder Cup, that's for sure.

He's a fantastic golfer. He's a great guy. And, you know, if he does end up winning, it will be very deserved.

Q. Rory, is there any part of you that appreciates seeing Tiger in the lead even if it's brief?
RORY McILROY: No, not at all. (Laughter).

Q. Maybe if you were at home?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, maybe if I was at home with a broken ankle like a few years ago, it might have been cool, but when you're the one trying to beat him, no, no appreciation there.

Q. Rory, years ago, if Tiger had the sole possession of a lead in a major, it was money in the bank. The fact that he didn't close it out, does that suggest that he's now beatable in these situations?
RORY McILROY: That's what I thought. With the Tiger we have to face, he's -- you know, he does things that maybe he didn't do 10, 15 years ago. But it's still great to have him back. It's still great for golf. It will be interesting to see going forward, but this was his first taste of major championship -- I don't know, drama, I guess, for quite a while. Even though he's won 14, you have to learn how to get back. I'm relearning. I feel like I've won quite a few recently, but you still have to relearn to deal with it.

Today was a good day for both of us with that, I guess.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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