ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL

March 6, 2022

Rory McIlroy

Bay Hill Club and Lodge

Quick Quotes

Q. Is there any balance between playing here and other events? Must give you a kick here, doesn't it?

RORY MCILROY: I feel punch drunk, to be honest. The weekend, it's like crazy golf. You just don't get rewarded for good shots. Like I'm venting here and I'm frustrated and whatever. I think as well the frustration is it's a carbon copy of what's happened the last three years here. I started off really, really well with a 66 or 65. Friday afternoon conditions got a little tougher. Then over the weekend it's sort of been the same stuff.

So three years in a row it's sort of been start off, lead the golf tournament, then you just sort of regress and come back to the field each and every day. Yeah, it's frustrating. It's hard to keep your patience out there.

Q. You've got a big week. Everyone's got a big week as well next week.

RORY MCILROY: Exactly. Sort of the way the conditions are, it makes you feel as if you're not playing as good as you are. Like I'm playing good. I'm hitting good shots. I'm swinging the club well. I'm chipping well. I'm putting well. But it can knock your confidence whenever the conditions are like this.

I'm certainly playing better than shooting 8-over over the weekend. It's just a matter of trying to regroup and forget about this week, and next week's going to be a completely different test.

Q. What do you do on some of these tee shots when it's rough left, border right, the fairway's burnt out. You're actually standing on the tee, and it looks like there's nowhere to go.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, but it's not -- it's really hard to get it close from the fairway anyway, so you may as well have a rip at it. Wherever it goes, it goes, and you sort of figure it out from there.

Q. You think some of the guys would think twice whether to play if it stays like this?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, they need to do something about it. There's a lot of guys that sort of stay away this week to get ready for next week. Next week's become such a big event, $20 million purse. The four majors are sacred in this game, but it's very close to being among them with the way it's going.

As I said, I just need a day off tomorrow to forget about what's happened this week and then just sort of focus on next week.

Q. So what should they do?

RORY MCILROY: I think it's just a golf course setup issue and maybe just trying to make it a little less penal when you miss, I guess. Or not even less penal when you miss. I don't mind golf courses being penal when you miss, but it's not rewarding good shots. I think that's where it starts to get across the line.