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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 17, 2019

Rory McIlroy

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Q. You've been so close to winning this season on the PGA TOUR; what do you think the difference was this week?
RORY MCILROY: Honestly, I think it was just all those experiences I'd had starting the year, a good chance in Hawaii, good chance in LA, chance in Mexico, last week, and I think just it's a combination of just getting those experiences. I felt more and more comfortable each time, and even like -- I almost liked today because it was tough. I knew that guys weren't going to get away from us, especially when I made double on 4, I knew it was a similar start to what I had yesterday. I knew there were some chances coming up. So I just stayed as patient as I possibly could, and any time I looked at the leaderboard, I was pleasantly surprised that I hadn't fallen two, three shots behind. That gave me a little bit of encouragement to keep going, and played a great back nine.

Q. You are used to winning all over the world. How would you describe how difficult it is to get across the finish line in a championship like this?
RORY MCILROY: It's hard. I mean, it was a difficult day. You've got guys maybe starting two or three hours before us, they go out and shoot 66, 67, and all of a sudden they post a number. I had no idea Eddie Pepperell was where he was, and he posts 66, and I'm like, wow, he got to 14-under par. So it's tough. The depth of fields, this is probably the deepest field of the year. You know, there's so much on the line, and I'm just thankful that it was my turn this week. I felt like if I just stayed patient enough and waited my turn, things would work out for me, and I'm glad they have.

Q. All wins are special, but after so many close calls and people questioning you, you've gone out and won on an iconic golf course against a world-class field. How special is this one?
RORY MCILROY: Yeah, it's very special. You know, I just tried to treat it like another day. Even though I've had all those close calls this year, they did not mean anything. If anything they were good for me. I sort of -- I called them remote misses. It gives you even more hope to go forward and go again. I think all those experiences this year led me to this point, and ultimately they were good for me because it got me over the line today.

Q. The lead changed so many times, it was such a dramatic afternoon for us to watch. Just describe what was going through your mind over those closing holes.
RORY MCILROY: I birdied 9, had a great chance on 10, felt like I holed that and it didn't go in. Birdied 11, and then before I hit my tee shot on 12, I heard this big roar, and I backed off, and I didn't know -- I asked -- bones was walking with us, and I said, did someone make a 1 on 17, and he said, no, Eddie pep peril just holed it from 50 feet. I said, oh, that's good for Eddie, and I looked at the board and he was 14-under par. I was like, where has he just come from? So it was huge -- the birdie on 12 was huge, just to give me a little bit of momentum, get to 15-under par, and the final few holes were tough, especially 13, 14, 15 were tough holes, and to get that birdie on 15 after the dropped shot on 14 was massive. I knew 16 was a good chance, and then just to par the last two holes and hit three good shots when I needed to, that gives me a lot of confidence going forward. This was obviously a great start to the season. It's a massive win. But the way I played those last few holes gives me so much confidence going forward.

Q. You're going to the Masters with a chance to become just the sixth man in history to complete the career Grand Slam. How big is this victory in that context?
RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I mean, look, it is -- if I hadn't have won today, I would have said I don't need a win going into Augusta, but it's very nice to get a win, especially doing it on this golf course.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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