U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2023

June 18, 2023

Rory McIlroy

The Los Angeles Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Even par-70. Can you talk us through that final round today.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah. The golf course was playing really tricky, and obviously the scores in the final few groups reflected that. I mean, I didn't feel -- there was a couple of things that I probably would have done differently, but all in all, I played a solid round of golf.

That one wedge shot on 14, missed birdie putt on 8, really apart from that, I did everything else the way I wanted to.

Yeah, fine, fine margins at this level and at this tournament especially, but I fought to the very end. I obviously never give up.

And I'm getting closer. The more I keep putting myself in these positions, sooner or later it's going to happen for me. Just got to regroup and get focused for Hoylake in a few weeks' time.

Q. You talked earlier this week about watching past rounds. If you were to watch this round or this tournament back in a year or two, what do you think you'll see and take away from the experience this week?

RORY MCILROY: The last real two chances I've had at majors I feel like have been pretty similar performances, like St Andrews last year and then here.

Not doing a lot wrong, but I didn't make a birdie since the first hole today. Just trying to be a little more, I guess, efficient with my opportunities and my looks.

Again, overall when you're in contention going into the final round of a U.S. Open, I played the way I wanted to play. There was just a couple of shots, two or three shots over the course of the round that I'd like to have back.

Q. When does the countdown to Royal Liverpool start?

RORY MCILROY: Three minutes ago, I guess. Yeah, I'll play Travelers next week, I'll play the Scottish Open, but I'm focused on making sure that I'm ready to go for Liverpool.

Q. Can you take us through the third shot at 14, just what happened there?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, as I was walking up to it, it felt like it was a perfect full sand wedge. Hit it hard, get some spin on it.

Then while we were getting prepared for the shot, the wind started to freshen a little bit. Full sand wedge wasn't getting there, so I said to Harry, three-quarter gap wedge would be perfect.

I feel like I didn't time the shot perfectly. I hit it when the wind was at its strongest and the ball just got hit a lot by the wind, and obviously it came up short.

If I had it back, I think I had the right club and the right shot. I might have just had to wait an extra 15 or 20 seconds to let that little gust settle.

Q. You mentioned a couple shots you'd like to have back. Which were those, outside of the one you just talked about?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, the putt on the 8th hole and the wedge shot on 14.

Q. At this point do you feel like you're able to play free in the final rounds when you know what's on the line?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I thought I did really well at executing my game plan, hitting a lot of fairways, hitting a lot of greens, again, what you should do at a U.S. Open.

If anything, I felt like over the last two days when the greens started to get quite crispy that my speed control was off a little bit, and I think that's the reason I didn't hole a lot of putts. I don't think I was hitting bad putts; just hitting them just with slightly the wrong speed. Some were coming up short, some were going a little long.

I can play free. I think I proved that today. Just felt like my speed control was a little off with the putter. That's probably why I didn't make a birdie since the first.

Q. When you're standing there waiting for the outcome to be official, for those of us who are never going to be in that position, what are you thinking about in those moments?

RORY MCILROY: You don't want to wish bad on anyone, but you're really hoping for a three-putt. You're hoping to somehow get into a playoff to keep giving yourself a chance.

You're rooting for one guy, and that guy is yourself at that point. Yeah, I guess you're just hoping for the other guy to slip up or make a mistake or give you a glimmer of hope.

Wyndham was pretty much rock solid all day, and that was a great two-putt at the last.

Q. (No microphone.)

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I didn't need to wait for the tap-in. As soon as he cozied it up there, I was like, okay, get through this, and then go home and regroup.

Q. We keep having to ask you questions about how do you deal with disappointment, do you learn things, this and that. I'm wondering if it gets exhausting to have to answer those kind of things?

RORY MCILROY: It is, but at the same time, when I do finally win this next major, it's going to be really, really sweet. I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship.