U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

June 19, 2022

Rory McIlroy

The Country Club

Flash Interview

THE MODERATOR: Rory McIlroy, 1-under 69 today. Can you talk us through the round?

RORY McILROY: A bit of a roller coaster on the front nine, bogeys and birdies. Got off to a great start. Sort of feel like there was a couple of holes out there this week that were my nemesis, the 3rd being one of them.

Yeah, it wasn't that easy out there. Obviously, there was a few good scores, but I needed to shoot a 65 or a 66 to get the job done today, and I just wasn't quite on it enough to do that. I still feel like I played well and shot a solid round of golf, but just not quite good enough to contend.

Q. Obviously, you came up a little bit short. Are there any positives you're going to take away from this week?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, the game's there. Another top five in a major. I guess doesn't really mean anything. Yeah, the game's there. The game's there. I've got one more start next week in Hartford before I go to the Open Championship.

I'll get two weeks of good rest before the Open and play some links golf and prepare and look forward to that. Again, my game's in good shape. I've got one more chance this year to try to get that major.

Q. You've talked a lot about trying to manage the highs and the lows when you're out there. Did you feel like you did a better job of that this week?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I did. I think that's the way the U.S. Opens go. There is a lot of highs and a lot of lows.

I did. I felt like I did a good job of that this week. I feel like I've done a good job of that at this tournament the last few years. I feel like this is my fourth top ten in a row coming off the back of three missed cuts in this event. So it's definitely been better.

It's still not quite close enough. There was a few holes there today where I made the birdie and then did the reverse once back with the bogey at the next. To win golf tournaments, you just can't do that.

But it's there. It's close. I just have to stay patient. As I said, I've got one more opportunity this year to try to get a major, and I'm looking forward to that.

Q. Rory, you like push yourself so hard. Your expectations are so high for yourself. How long does it take for you to just kind of reset and process it and just look at the genuine positives coming out of this week?

RORY McILROY: It will take a while probably. I'll look back at this as another missed opportunity just as Southern Hills was, but missed opportunities are better than not contending at all. So that is a positive.

I have to stay patient at this point because if I just keep putting myself in position, sooner or later it's going to be my day and I'm going to get one.

Q. You say another top five, but it doesn't really matter. Do you believe that? It's kind of win or bust for you to some extent at these things?

RORY McILROY: It's not win or bust. It's not as if where I finished today is the same as not playing on the weekend. I guess when I look back, will I remember the fifth place I had at Brookline? Probably not.

It's funny, I had a flashback over the putt on 15. It was to finish T-4 with Hideki, and I held a putt on the last green at Augusta in 2015 to finish fourth. For some reason I had a flashback to that, which is weird. Obviously, seven years ago.

Yeah, there's positives to take from it.

I played well enough to give myself a chance to win. I didn't get the job done, but I'm closer than I have been in a while, which is good.

Q. Sounds like maybe you will remember it seven years from now.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, maybe.

Q. What did you think of the course and the venue as a major championship test?

RORY McILROY: I thought it was great. I thought a few funky tee shots. A few tee shots I'm happy to not see again for a few years. But, overall, really good setup, great U.S. Open.

To be able to play this championship especially so close to big cities, I think that's really, really important. Great atmosphere; great crowds. It was a really good week.

Q. Kind of building off that question, where does this layout stack up amongst the other U.S. Open venues? Does this place deserve that next Open spot? I think it's like nine years from now.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think so. I think it just goes to show that a golf course doesn't need to be overly long to play tough. This thing's 7,200 yards, which is pretty short by today's standards. But just with good architecture and good setup, the winning score is going to be sort of 5, 6-under par, which I think is a fair reflection of how the course played all week.

I thought it's a really good track, and I'd love to see it come back here.

Q. You did a huge number of things right this week, holed a lot of putts, hit a lot of great iron shots. Would you say maybe some tee shots, fairways woods off the tees that probably maybe cost you this?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think so. I struggled with the 3-wood all year. I still haven't quite found the one that I'm 100 percent confident with. Yeah, a few misses left with the 3-wood this week, which wasn't -- yeah, it's hard because there's holes out here where you had to hit fairway wood, and I had to just get really comfortable trying to do that.

Yeah, maybe something I need to try to work on going into the Open, trying to get a 3-wood that I'm 100 percent comfortable with. But as you said, overall I did a lot of really good things this week -- putted well, scrambled well, hit a lot of good iron shots. So I just need to keep doing that, keep doing my thing, and I'll have another opportunity in a few weeks time to try to get another one.