MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 10, 2022

Rory McIlroy

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Like to welcome our 2022 Masters runner-up Rory McIlroy to the media center. Rory, what a magnificent round, 64, six birdies and an eagle that ties the low round in a Masters the last day, and a magical finish. Can you talk us through a little.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, you know, it sort of -- I was saying right there it's been such a weird year for like weather conditions and playing in a ton of wind and like I think about THE PLAYERS and Bay Hill and even last week in St. Andrews, I feel like he we haven't had a lot of days like that this year where you can actually get after the golf course. Finally we had a day where you could get after it. I just sort of thought to myself, you know, what the hell, let's just give it a go here and I started off really well with a birdie on 1 and then just tried to keep the foot down.

Yeah, and I played a really, really good round of golf. I knew it would take something incredible to try to at least give Scottie something to think about. I thought I had maybe done that with holing that bunker shot on the last. I got to within three at that point. But then Scottie's just been sort of unflappable and birdied 14 and 15 and he's closing this thing out like a champ.

So you know, hats off to him. He's sort of been head and shoulders above everyone else this week and I played great today and I've actually had a really, really good weekend. I'm proud of my performance. So you know, I'll keep coming back here year after year until I get the hang of this thing and hopefully get one. But it was a great week all around and all I can take are the positives from it.

Q. Normally your main moments of celebrations are when you win things, but that scene on 18 when you holed the bunker shot, the celebration was really great. Can you explain what that was and what that meant and what that was about?

RORY McILROY: Honestly it was giving me a chance. Scottie was a 10 and that got me to 7 for the tournament and he still had to play -- I didn't know if he was on 12 at that point or whatever it was, but he still had some tricky holes to navigate. I thought it would at least give me a chance and it was like the third shot I had held from off the green today. It was sort of like -- it was a round Seve would have been proud of I think.

But yeah, it was just -- it was fun. It was fun to cap off a day like that today with a shot like that. Just that scene on 18 with me holing and Collin holing after me was just really cool to be a part of. You know, makes me excited to get back here next year and give it another shot.

Q. When you finished your round yesterday, you were around 20th, well back of the lead obviously. At what point today did you start to think about what that first place number was?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, so I mean obviously yesterday was a really difficult day and I think I finished, as you said, when I got off the course, I was just in the Top-20, but then by the end of yesterday I was T-9 I think going into today. I thought if I could shoot 63 today, it would give me a chance. That was sort of my number today. I didn't quite get there, but I gave it a good shot.

Again, all I wanted to do was just -- I've been in that position, and I've had the lead on the back nine here and haven't been able to get it done. I just wanted to try and put a little bit of pressure on and I feel like I did that.

Q. When you say give it a go --

RORY McILROY: I think just being a little more aggressive, maybe my aim points with my second shot are a little more aggressive. You know, like I sort of took dead aim at the flag on 1. Maybe took my tee shot a little further left on 2. I went and took my tee shot a little further right on 3 to try to get the green, just sort of stuff like that.

Just sort of aim points a little -- a little less margin for error basically, and I guess, you know, at that point, it was sort of you go out there today and you give it a go, and if it doesn't quite work out, it doesn't really matter. But if it does work out, you can have a day like this and have some fun.

Q. Like it's tougher to go for broke on Thursday because you can shoot yourself out?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, especially Thursday in this golf tournament is not the day to be super aggressive. It's a day to just hang in there and -- yeah, I've said all week, it's just about hanging around. That's what this tournament is all about, hang around until you get to a spot where you feel comfortable to be aggressive, and that was where I was today.

I found myself a little too far back, but that wasn't because -- I don't think that was because of my game. I feel like I've played okay, especially yesterday, I played well to shoot under par. But, you know, Scottie just had such a lead. It wasn't just me that struggled first two days. It was basically every other person in the field apart from Scottie.

So I thought my strategy this week was really, really good. I know I said after the first two days I could have been a few shots better. There was that bogey, double-bogey run on 10 and 11 on the first day, which was a little soft, but -- or on the second day, sorry.

Apart from that, I basically did everything I wanted to this week. I think I was minus three strokes gains on the first two days. That wasn't -- that wasn't until -- but I played really nicely over the weekend.

And so, yeah, getting back to your question, I just don't -- I don't think it is the right strategy to go for broke from the first day. I mean, obviously you can get on a run and shoot a good score, but, you know, you're basically trying to just play yourself into the tournament.

Q. It's obviously easier to play that free and easy way starting the day ten strokes back rather than when you're in the final pairing, but how do you take that mindset, that attitude, the skills that you used today the next time you're in a final pairing or teeing off late Sunday at Augusta?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think just all these memories that are building up, I think I've had some really good Sundays here from a little further back, and it is about trying to channel whatever attitude that is that I bring into -- the 66 I shot with Tiger in the final group in 2015, or not the final group but the final round, obviously today, I've had a few other rounds where I haven't been quite in contention and shot good scores.

So I think the more and more I did it, the more memories I build up and the more, if I do put myself in a position closer to the lead going into Sunday, that I can -- you know, I can delve into that memory bank and try to use those memories and my experience to my advantage.

Q. Building on that, do you think a performance like this today sort of -- sort of resets you coming back next year when you take another shot at this, like, wow, I know I can do this now?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, I've always known that I can do it. I've played good enough around here, maybe just haven't strung four rounds together like that, but I've always known that I have the game to win at this place. It's.

Just a matter of having -- having that game for four days in a row and not making big numbers and shooting yourself in the foot I guess. That was my attitude the first couple of days. I certainly didn't do that. I played for pars quite a lot, but in the course of a tournament, you are going to find some spots where you go on a birdie run, and you try to take advantage of some of the good golf that you play, and I did that today.

But yeah, I don't think it just sets me up for next year, it sets me up for the rest of the year. I feel like my game has been sort of quietly pretty good without the results to really show for it. But again, today it was a golf course that I felt was gettable and I feel like I'm playing well enough to go out there and shoot those sort of scores.

Q. Any shot or moment where it felt it was concrete evidence of the work you've been doing with Michael and your swing lately?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, tee shot on 1, to start with that and feeling comfortable down the left side and working off those trees, fourth hole I thought was particularly good. Yeah, there was a couple ones later in the round, and I sort of get that where my body starts moving and I sort of hit these smooth draws.

But I hit-nice 7-iron into 16. Yeah, I think everything is sort of heading in the right direction, and I feel good with where my golf swing is. And I'm not overanalyzing it and not looking at the video too much, and it feels pretty good. The ball is basically doing what I want it to do more times than not. That's a good thing.

Q. What is the thing that pleased you most about today? And I don't necessarily mean a particular shot. And secondly, where do you rank that round and amongst your cracking rounds?

RORY McILROY: It's certainly the best round I've had last year. It's probably one of the best rounds I've had in a major championship.

What pleased me most as well is the par putt on 11, the two-putt on 12, the up-and-down on 14, the up-and-down on 17, just those -- they are not going to be the highlights of the round, but they are the things that keep your round going.

After chipping in on 10, if I had not got that double on 12, it's just a big momentum killer going into 12 and 13. Just those little putts, and obviously those -- those are sort of the putts and up-and-downs that I didn't make earlier in the week, but I started to make them the last couple days.

And those are the things that are really pleasing. And they are not the things that are going to get the highlights or the applause, but it's those little things that keep the round going. That's what I was most proud of today.

Q. I know it's hard to nitpick when you shoot 64, but 14 and 15, not giving yourself chances, when you have had that momentum after the eagle on 13, are you going to regret that you didn't have much of a chance to go for it on 14 and 15?

RORY McILROY: Those three holes, if I look back on it, if I had just been able to fit the fairway on 14 and 15, that was such a funnel pin in there, if you hit a decent shot, you're going to have a good look for birdie.

15, sometimes you hit a bad tee shot on 15 and you're not that angry about it because it just means you don't have a decision to make and you just try to make birdie with a wedge, and I felt like I hit a good wedge shot. That green got pretty firm today and just skipped through to the back edge. Just, yeah, those are the three holes. 16 I hit a good shot and hit the putt a little firm up the hill.

You're nitpicking to this point and you always look back and think about what could have been, but even if I had birdied those three holes, maybe I would have put more pressure on Scottie. But he's finished this thing really well today, and there's not much more I could have done about that.

Q. After you made the eagle at 13, what was your mindset? Did you really think that you probably had a pretty good chance at that point to catch Scottie? And two, do you leave here feeling any better than you do today?

RORY McILROY: So when I eagled 13, just as I was alluding to, I thought 14, 15, 16 are birdie holes, especially with the pin positions. I thought if I could maybe make two of the next three, that would have got me to 8-under for the tournament and maybe two off the lead. Who knows. That's what my mindset was, to try to birdie two of the next three holes.

I don't think I've ever walked away from this tournament as happy as I am today. I've played a really good round of golf, and it's my best ever finish at Augusta. It's not quite enough, but I'll certainly look back on this day with very fond memories. And as I said at the start, it just gives me -- it gives me confidence going forward not only into the next Masters next year but to the rest of the season as well.

Q. Apologies for coming in late, but I was just watching Scottie 4-putt the last, which you're probably not aware of.

RORY McILROY: Oh, no.

Q. Just looking forward to next -- you said earlier in the week missing the cut in Texas was not a bad cut to miss. Any early thoughts on preparations for next year? You've tried it all different ways. How did you think it went?

RORY McILROY: I thought it went well this year. I got two good practice days here last week on Monday and Tuesday and headed to San Antonio Tuesday evening. Look, San Antonio was not the way I wanted to play, but I learned a lot. I changed golf ball on Thursday afternoon and went to a golf ball I'm playing in the last year to a golf ball I played three years ago, and that was a good change, especially with how windy it was last year, the last couple of days.

Again, it certainly wasn't the result that I wanted in San Antonio, but what I learned in those two days playing there and having the next two days at home to work on pin positions and ball flights and all that sort of stuff, it just gives me couple of extra days to work on some things I had not been able to work on had I made the cut in San Antonio.

And that's why I said it wasn't a bad cut to miss at the end of the day. It was nice to get some competitive golf. I like to play my way into things, and maybe next year I'll do the same thing. But I do like playing my way into majors, whenever the schedule permits it and whenever I feel like it's the right thing to do. But yeah, I mean, I like to be competitive and sharp on the way in, and I felt like, you know, I was as sharp as could I have been I guess coming into this week.

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Q. Sorry to bother you again. You touched on it in terms of results but despite sometimes how you feel and what you think in yourself, do you sometimes need days like this to kind of validate exactly what you're saying and saying, yeah, what I'm doing is right, I'm on the right panel? Does a day like this matter? Can it help you?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think it does. It's no good feeling like your game is in good shape and finishing 30th every week and you're on the right path. Every now and again, it's nice to have results like this just to reaffirm that what you're doing are the right things. The only person to beat me this week is the guy that's currently the best golfer in the world.

I'm on the right track and doing the right things. Its was just nice to feel that buzz in a major championship again. It's been a while since I felt that, and I think the last time was trying to make the cut at an Open Championship, was the last time I felt a buzz like that in a major. So this was certainly better than that.

I'm excited going forward, and I think, again, this day will stand to me not just in Masters in the next few years but also just for my career going forward.

Q. You've spoken in the past how in your major wins, you've gotten off to really fast starts. You've had some quite slow starts over the last few years. Have you any theories as to why it seems to be more difficult for you to get up and running quickly in the majors these days?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, I don't know if there's any rhyme or reason for it. As I alluded to earlier just about just trying to play my way into the tournament, you're not going to go out and shoot 66 every time you tee it up in the first round of a major and win by a ton of shots.

It's happened before and yeah, it's just sort of -- these golf tournaments especially are just about, I keep saying it but just about hanging around. You sort of know what the winning score is going to be at the end of the week but just trying to gradually build day after day until you get to that point.

You try to come out of the blocks too fast, that's when you can start to make mistakes, especially on golf courses that are as treacherous as this one or the places that we play in major championships. It is nice to get off to good starts and be up the leaderboard early because I feel the earlier you get up there, almost the easier it is to stay there in some ways. But at the end of the day, you still have to bide your time and play your way in.

I'll have major championships where I'll start fast and have chances like the U.S. Open last year last year and I'll have starts like this where I'll get off to a slow start. But that's always a point in the tournament where you have a chance to make your move and today was that chance for me. Other majors it could be a third round or second round or whatever it is. At the end of the day we all have to play 72 holes and the 72nd hole is just as important as the first one and you just have to treat it like that.

THE MODERATOR: Rory, thank you so much, congratulations. Have a great season, and we'll see you back in 2023.