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TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 25, 2019

Rory McIlroy

Atlanta, Georgia

Q. Last year the celebration and the cheers were for the guy you were playing with, Tiger Woods. Congratulations on the win. What was it like hearing your name chanted this time?
RORY MCILROY: It was pretty cool. I must say, I didn't enjoy that walk last year like everyone else did. I played terribly. I got myself into the final group and never took the fight to Tiger. Going up against the No. 1 player in the world today, he got one over on me in Memphis, and I wanted to try to sort of get some revenge today. To play like that alongside Brooks and get the win, win the FedExCup, yeah, it's awesome. You know, it's amazing how different things can be in a year.

Q. You have become just the second player, along with Tiger Woods, to win multiple FedExCups; the first, however, to win in this points system. How would you compare the pressure of today versus 2016?
RORY MCILROY: Yeah, my goal today was to go and win, not the normal tournament, but win by even strokes, right? So if everyone started on even this week, my goal was to just shoot the lowest score of the week. I think with that birdie on the last, I did that. That's why I was still concentrating on it. So that was my goal going out.

You know, it looked like it was a three-horse race between Xander, Brooks, and I, and then on the sort of middle of the back nine, it was just sort of Xander, and I was able to separate myself. But it's tough coming in. I made those two bogeys on 14 and 15, made a huge par save on 16, and then was able to birdie the last two. You know, such a cool way to end what has been for me a great season. I'll look back on this season, and there's been a lot of good things that I've done, and try to improve for next year again.

Q. With the new PGA schedule, the first big win came at THE PLAYERS Championship. Now you end the season with the TOUR Championship; how would you characterize your 2018-19 TOUR season?
RORY MCILROY: You know, I think I've given myself so many chances, and to win three times is awesome. I feel like I could have won more. But to win the FedExCup again, to persist the whole way throughout the year, to keep giving myself chances even when I was getting knocked back and not be denied, I'm very proud of myself, and I'm going to enjoy this one tonight.

Q. You made it interesting; I called every shot today, and after those couple of bogeys, that up-and-down at 16, you gave it the fist pump, that was huge, and then you closed it out with that birdie at 17.
RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think if I look back on today, that par on 16 was probably the real pivotal moment, just to stop the bleeding a little bit. Obviously I bogeyed 14 and 15, but then that par save and then the birdie on 17 to really give myself a nice push going into the last.

Yeah, I played really well today. You know, the final round in Memphis hurt a little bit. I didn't take it to Brooks at all. I just said to myself, I'm going to go out there, try my hardest, and today I was able to get the win.

Q. A year ago you were with Tiger in the last group, you saw the fans pour on to the golf course and his support; what did it mean to you today as you came to that 18th green and they were surrounding you and chanting "Rory."
RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I mentioned to my caddie, Harry, going up the 18th, it's not quite as scary a walk as it was last year. Obviously people were just breaking the lines. But yeah, I think to make that walk three out of the last five years, I guess, is pretty cool. East Lake has been very good to me. It's been a good course for me, and I have to play well again next year just to get back here, but looking forward to trying to get back and defending.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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