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WGC DELL TECHNOLOGIES MATCH PLAYMarch 27, 2019Rory McIlroyAustin, Texas RORY McILROY: I somehow got away with most of them, and, Luke, he didn't play his best. But I played well. He led me away on a couple of holes, but to birdie 13 and 14 to close the match out was nice. Q. When you are the favorite, no matter who you're playing or how your opponent is playing, how imperative is it to get off to a fast start, let them know you are here? RORY McILROY: Yeah, a hundred percent. I had to sort of play really well from the get-go. Luke holed a 20, 25-footer on the first for birdie and I had to follow him in. He hit a wedge shot into like 10 feet at the second, I had to follow that good shot. Even from the get-go I needed to respond a little bit to what he did, and I feel like I did that pretty well. So that gives me a bit of confidence going forward. Q. Rory, nice win. You led all the way. That just doesn't happen in match play. Your thoughts on the match? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was nice. I got up early. I was 1-up through 2. I rode my luck a little bit on a few holes on the front nine and Luke led me away with a couple of holes. And then on the back I played solid golf. It wasn't easy out there with the wind and sometimes it was tricky and swirls up in the trees there. But to birdie 13 and 14, and to close the match out was very pleasing. Q. I've heard the word "tricky" to describe this golf course in numerous interviews I've already done today. What is it about this place that makes it so interesting for match play? RORY McILROY: I think pulling the right clubs on certain -- the par-3s, especially today, you're probably going to see a lot of guys coming up short or going long. With the way the wind is, there's a lot of the par-3s that should be sort of crosswind, but if it sort of switches one way or the other that can make a difference. So pulling the right club and hitting your shot at the right time to get the wind that you want to is pretty important. Q. How big is it to get off to a good start, like today? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I talked about it yesterday, I wanted to get off to a good start because I haven't the last couple of years. And then your fate is not in your own hands. And it makes things a little more difficult. To get a good win under my belt today was nice, especially in sort of tricky conditions, as well. That's a bit of a leveler right there, this afternoon. To play like I did was good and just looking forward to tomorrow. Q. When you look at the prospect of playing over 120 holes to win this thing, does flipping an extra three or four off here bring a good feeling? RORY McILROY: I guess so. You know, I've -- obviously I've played and I've got to the last day of this tournament I think on three different occasions. So I know what it feels like. Obviously played Ryder Cups, and you've got to play 36 a day. It's not too taxing. Like your legs, Saturday night playing 36, after playing 18, 18, 18, your legs might feel it a little bit. But the excitement and the adrenaline sort of gets you through that. So, look, regardless if I have to play 120 holes or whatever it is to win this tournament, to win on 14 today is just a nice feeling. Q. (Inaudible). RORY McILROY: Mentally it's a little more taxing than a four-round golf tournament just because you're having to respond to what your opponent does every hole. So it's a little bit different. I'm glad we play match play only once or twice a year. I think if we had to play it all the time mentally it would be a lot more difficult. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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