ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

January 23, 2021

Rory McIlroy

Abu Dhabi Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. The first day you made the game look easy, yesterday 14 holes, one shot over, more of a struggle for you. Give us your assessment of today?

RORY McILROY: Today was a little better. It's hard to like -- it's so blustery and it's different type of golf than we're used to playing here in Abu Dhabi where there's usually not much wind. You feel like you have a chance on every hole. There's like a little more scrambling involved and longer putts.

So I thought I did well today. Obviously had that big stroke of luck on 10, the ball hitting the pin and going in.

Apart from that, I played well. I drove it much better on the back nine and I hit it much better on the back nine, so I was really encouraged with that.

Q. Highlight of the day was the eagle on 10. Describe that pitch for us.

RORY McILROY: It's funny, these greens here, I don't know when this course was built but it was probably around 20 years ago, and I don't think they have redone the greens since. So they have got that like thatch to them.

So every ball that seems to land on the greens here, it's sort of like a sponge; it doesn't really go anywhere. And that was the first one that really took a bit of a bounce forward for me. Yeah, lucky it hit the pin. It was going over the green and was going to be left with a tricky up-and-down for par.

Sometimes that's what you need in golf tournaments to be in contention and to end up winning is those little strokes of luck every now and again.

Q. Thoughts on tomorrow, opportunity to win here again after seven top threes in eight years. It's your turn, isn't it?

RORY McILROY: I can't go into tomorrow thinking it's my turn. I want to make it my turn. I have to go out there and continue to hit the ball like I hit it on the back nine tonight. If I can do that and give myself plenty of chances, I'll have a real chance.