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WGC MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIPFebruary 19, 2020Rory McIlroyMexico City, Mexico Q. Third appearance here in Mexico City. Just get some comments on being back here and challenges this golf course presents here. RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's good to be back in Mexico. I've played well here the last couple of times I've played. DJ was just sort of too good for all of us last year, played in the final group with him, but yeah, good to be back. I've always felt like I played well at altitude. I've played well here. I've played well over in Europe and Switzerland a couple of times. I feel like I adjust pretty well to it, and that's really what it's all about. That's what it's all about this week is just trying to adjust and trust your numbers and make sure you know how far the ball is going. That's really it. Yeah, happy to be back. Really enjoyed it. I feel like this tournament has gone from strength to strength the last few years, and obviously would love to add it to the list. Q. Having won at HSBC in China in 2019, this is the only WGC you haven't won yet. You have the opportunity to join DJ as the only guy to win all four. RORY McILROY: Yeah, that would be pretty cool. WGCs are big events, top players in the world, and I've always played pretty well in them. I had a chance in Doral whenever it was back there a few years ago, or a couple of chances. Obviously I've played okay here. Yeah, to complete the set would be nice. Those wedge wood trophies look pretty good in the trophy case, so I'd like to add one more there. Q. What's the most challenging thing about playing here at Club de Golf Chapultepec. RORY McILROY: I think trusting that the ball is going to go as far as it does. It's not very often that you're hitting 8-irons from 210 yards. I think just trusting that and trusting that all you need to do is put a good swing on it and you make good contact, the ball is going to do the distance that it should. And yeah, I think distance control, by the weekend here, because the air is so dry, the greens can get a little firm by the end of the week, so making sure you know how far the ball is running out. You've got to pitch it at the front of greens to get them up to the back. But yeah, distance control is a big key around here. Q. What's your philosophy on 2? RORY McILROY: The first year I sort of hit 5-iron most days, I think, and then I think it was just from seeing some of the other longer guys hit driver and seeing DJ go for it. Every day last year I hit driver. I think another thing here, as well, which is quite nice, because the air is so thin, the ball doesn't curve that much. So if you start it on-line, it's not really going to get away from you. That's another thing; it's a good thing to get driver in your hands. If you're confident with it, you can take advantage of that. Q. Does it change your strategy or plan for this weekend knowing that last year you came so close to winning? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, I think if anything it gives me confidence knowing that I play well here. I think I had a share of the lead after two days the first time I played here, as well, so I've played good golf here. So I think if anything I've figured this place out pretty well for it being quite a new venue for all of us. The two finishes that I've had here give me confidence knowing that I can come in here this week, and if I play some good golf, I should have a chance. Q. You've talked recently a lot about learning something from wins and losses, but has there been a particular loss in your career that's stuck with you a little bit longer, and why? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, there's a few. I could count 10 or so. Yeah, there's some that are tougher than others. The one that really hit me a lot was -- even though I wasn't -- I was three behind going into the final day, was the final group with Tiger in Atlanta in 2018, because it was sort of the first time I'd really been in that position with him, and I didn't get the best out of myself that day, and that hurt a little bit just because he's such a hero for a lot of us out here, and you dream of situations like that, and then not being able to conjure up your best stuff when you need it, that one hurt a little bit. Not even like -- even if I said this at the time, even just make him earn it. I didn't care that he won; that was great. It was just the fact that I didn't push him down the stretch. So that hurt a little bit. But yeah, there's always -- but you can always take positives from things, and even a week like that you take positives from the fact that you played yourself into the final group and you're doing some good stuff. Yeah, there's some that stay with you a bit more, but again, it's all part of it, and those things are what make you better. I went through a period at the start of last year where I wasn't getting the job done, and all those experiences led me to winning THE PLAYERS Championship in March. You've just got to take it as it comes and try to learn everything you can from every experience you have in that position. Q. Are there any losses as a kid that still stick in your craw? RORY McILROY: As a kid? Q. You can define that any way you want. RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, I lost a playoff in Switzerland in 2008. It was my first year on the European Tour, and that stuck with me. I had a one-shot lead playing the last, bogeyed the last and then lost a playoff there. That's always stuck with me a little bit. Q. Who beat you? RORY McILROY: Jean François Lucquin. Q. You talked about it at Torrey, obviously there continues to be a lot of chatter about the Premier Golf. Have you had any more interaction with those folks, and have your thoughts changed on it at all? RORY McILROY: Yeah, they have a little bit, actually. The more I've thought about it, the more I don't like it. The one thing as a professional golfer in my position that I value is the fact that I have autonomy and freedom over everything that I do. I pick and choose -- this is a perfect example. Some guys this week made the choice to not come to Mexico. If you go and play this other golf league, you're not going to have that choice. You basically -- I read a thing the other day where it said if you take the money they can tell you what to do, so if you don't take the money, they can't tell you what to do. And I think that's my thing, I've never been one for being told what to do, and I like to have that autonomy and freedom over my career, and I feel like I would give that up by going to play this other league. For me, I'm out. My position is I'm against it until there may come a day that I can't be against it. If everyone else goes, I might not have a choice, but at this point, yeah, I don't like what they're proposing. Q. Do you see that happening, everybody going? RORY McILROY: No. I think it's very split at the minute, I think. Q. Do you accept that other people aren't in your position financially? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it does, but money is cheap. Money is the easy part. That's not the -- no, that's not the -- it shouldn't be the driving factor. Look, for some people it is and we're professional golfers and we're out here playing golf to make a living, but at the end of the day, I value my freedom and my autonomy over everything else. Q. Are you surprised that Tiger didn't really shut the door last week. His comments resonated a lot. RORY McILROY: Tiger is 44. He's got a young -- he's got two young kids. He's openly said last week he wants to play 12 times a year, so this league is proposing 18, so he's not going to do it. Q. What do you think about the development that the tournament has here in Mexico the last four years? RORY McILROY: I think it's been wonderful. You know, the one thing that I love about this tournament is it feels like the community here really appreciates us coming to play, and there's always been a great atmosphere at this tournament, and that's a wonderful thing. It's really nice to play in front of people that are appreciative but also fans of golf, and they don't get to see us very often. That's always been a nice thing. It's always been a great atmosphere to play in. Q. What do you think the winning score could be? RORY McILROY: Depends on the conditions, but the forecast I would say, with it looking the way it is and sort of firm, I'd say somewhere between 15- and 20-under par. What was DJ, 21-under par last year and won by five? Yeah, I'd say, yeah, somewhere between 15 and 20. Q. Do you see shooting under 20? RORY McILROY: I mean, yeah, I can. (Laughter.) I need to play very well, but yeah, I can say that. Q. About the Premier League, if some guys go and some guys don't, do you see any conflict personally amongst those who do and some who stay and support what they have? Does that make sense? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I could see that, definitely. Yeah, as I said right now, people are looking at it purely from a monetary standpoint, and I think there's some others that are looking at it more from a -- I would like to be on the right side of history with this one, just sort of as Arnold was with the whole Greg Norman thing in the '90s. Again, I value a lot of other things over money, and that's sort of my stance on it at this point. Q. Where do you think you are this year versus last year? RORY McILROY: I mean, I had a great last year. Obviously I've sort of continued to improve on certain things, build on some great play, some good finishes, got myself back to the top of the World Rankings. First time in five years, so -- or just under, four and a half years. I'm feeling as good as I have about my game. Q. Pretty ambitious schedule leading up to the Masters. I don't know if that's much different than last year, but what was the thinking? RORY McILROY: Just one more event. Well, it's actually not one more event because I played Hawai'i, so it's actually the same number of events, but obviously a few more closer leading up to Augusta. I just want to stay busy. My thing is I'll be down -- if I didn't play San Antonio, for example, I'll be down in Florida and I'll be practicing and I'll be thinking about it and I'll just be waiting to go up there, so I might as well do something. I might as well go play a golf tournament and get a card in my hand and try and shoot some scores and keep my mind occupied, and that was sort of the thinking behind it. And I've played well there before. I finished second in 2013, and it's a nice tournament. Everything is on-site. It's sort of easy. Yeah, and I think, as well, I've sort of front-loaded the start of the year because looking towards the end of the year after the Ryder Cup I might shut it down for a while and sort of recharge a little bit. Q. Might you get to Augusta before or not? RORY McILROY: I will, yeah. I'll get there. I'll get there before, yeah. Q. Do you find that as this remains kind of the missing piece for you that the attention on it gets more or less as you've had more time between, five or six years? Does the attention around you going for the Masters, has it increased? RORY McILROY: No, I definitely think it's less than it was, especially coming off the back of 2014 into '15 and having won the last couple of majors in '14, so it's definitely gotten less, and I think what's happened since with Tiger winning again, that'll be the massive narrative going into Augusta. Not to say I don't think I can really fly below the radar that much these days, but I think lower than it has been in the past. Q. Internally have you noticed a difference from when you first got there in '15? RORY McILROY: No, no, not particularly. In '15 it was a little bit of a struggle because like all the magazines wanted to do the Masters preview and I was on the front of Golf Digest and this and that, and it was a huge -- and everyone wants to put out everything there because it's bigger and whatever. I was like, geez, this is a lot. So I'd rather keep it low key, and I feel like the last few years I've done that pretty well. Q. Does being No. 1 in the ranking change anything or is it the same pressure? RORY McILROY: No, it's validation for how I've played over the past sort of 18 months. And I said it last week, look, I don't think it's a perfect ranking system. I think there could be some arguments made that it maybe doesn't quite reflect, but at the same time, it's the best that we have. If I continue to put myself in positions to win and finish well at golf tournaments, I'll stay up there in the rankings. So the most important thing for me is to continue to play good golf, continue to do the right things in practice, and hopefully the ranking and tournament wins are a byproduct of all those little things. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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