WGC DELL TECHNOLOGIES MATCH PLAY

March 23, 2023

Rory McIlroy

Austin Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Had you driven 18 in practice rounds?

RORY McILROY: I can't remember. No, I don't think so. I don't think the wind was quite as strong. Yeah, I certainly didn't expect to fly it on the green. It's almost one of those, when it's that far much downwind, it's almost like I could have hit 3-wood to get the down slope to get the skid. Like, I was imagining the driver was going to land into the upslope and sort of stay 10, 20 yards short. But as I said, I didn't imagine I could fly it on the green.

Q. Did you have any idea when you were way back there on the tee how close it was?

RORY McILROY: No. Sort of got a hundred yards up the fairway, and Smylie was out commentating on the group, and he said, dude, you just flew that on green. And I was like, oh, okay. So I didn't know for a little bit.

Q. What did you have in on 12? Because it was sort of the same wind, right?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, 12, I had 154 yards for my second shot off a three-quarter wedge.

Q. (No Microphone.)

RORY McILROY: I think the drives I hit on 12, even 13, 15, 16, 18, you know, I drove the ball great those last few holes and hit it really well. Yeah, it was great to see. Similar to yesterday too. I felt like I drove the ball really well yesterday.

Q. You've been involved in some really good matches over the course of your career, obviously a lot of Ryder Cup matches. How do you compare that one, though, when it seems how well both of you played?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, it wasn't easy out there. It's windy and blustery and tricky. It was good. I'm really proud of myself that I hung in there after being three down early and clawing it back and producing the shots that I did over the last few holes to ultimately get the job done.

Q. Same driver you used yesterday?

RORY McILROY: Yes.

Q. So you feeling good about this driver? Starting to trust it?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's -- I feel like I took it out of the box on Friday last week and the first two shots with it I was like, here we go. That's what it should be. When you're trying to fit clubs and stuff I don't think there should be too much fiddling about with it. It was like first two shots out of the box and it was like, yeah, I think I've got one here. So it's nice to sort of see that feeling translate into the same thing on the golf course.

Q. Where does this rank in terms of shots you've hit to three feet nine inches in your career?

RORY McILROY: (Laughing.) I was 1-up and there's certainly a lot of other ways to make birdie on that hole without having to do that. But, yeah, it was a great swing and it was great time to do it.