FEDEX ST. JUDE CHAMPIONSHIP

August 13, 2023

Rory McIlroy

TPC Southwind

Quick Quotes

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Q. Sometimes I ask you questions and I really don't know how you're going to answer, and this is one of them. I think you should be pleased with the week. You're not going to win, but a top 5 finish. You have to really be looking forward to two more playoff events.

RORY McILROY: Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, my game is in really good shape. I think tee to green, this is just a continuation of what I've been seeing over the past couple of months. Ever since really that -- like PGA Championship all the way through to here, ball-striking-wise tee to green it's been really good. I started to hole a few more putts on the weekend here and got myself up the leaderboard.

Yeah, with two playoff events to go, I'm certainly happy with the start. I wish I could have been a couple better, but nothing but confidence going into Chicago.

Q. 344 off the tee, longest drive of the day at the 18th hole and you make a 19-footer for birdie. 105 feet in putts in this final round.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I holed a really nice one on 13, a really nice one on 18, and I hit some really good putts coming in that sort of were shaving the edges.

Yeah, overall I'm pleased with the week. I missed a -- I think everyone in this field could look back over the four rounds and talk about the shots that they could have saved, but overall I have to be pleased with where I'm at.

Q. Tell me the truth: A half inch off that shaft doesn't make any difference on your putter?

RORY McILROY: It absolutely does. Where that right hand sits, it makes a huge difference.

Q. 65 is a pretty solid day out here. I know that there's a bit of frustration, as well. Just describe some of the emotions coming off the golf course.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I guess sort of it feels like a week of what could have been. Yeah, look, again, everyone in this field could think about the shots that they could have saved over the course of the four days, but I just think with how good my game has felt from tee to green, I could have maybe taken more advantage of that over the last few days.

But still, it's another really solid tournament. If anything it's just -- it's another, I guess, block in the wall in terms of like building the confidence, and from where my confidence was at the PGA Championship in May to where it is now, it's completely different.

I've been on a nice little run, and yeah, if I -- I sort of have to keep it in perspective, and I'm feeling really good about everything.

Q. You said yesterday that even though you were five back you thought if you got it going you could make a run. Even though you didn't make the birdie on 9, you saw everything bunched up, how good did you feel, look, let's decide this on the back nine at Southwind?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was nice to feel like I had a chance. In the end, I knew with how Patrick was playing, he was playing so good and so solid and hitting fairways and hitting greens and giving himself chances all the time.

I knew if I could just keep up with him that I would be pretty close. I obviously ended up one shy of him, and it looks like I'll probably end up one shy out of the playoff, depending on what Lucas does on 18.

Overall it was my best round of the week and a solid performance, and as I said, nothing but confidence going into Chicago next week.

Q. I know you know how special Memphis is with St. Jude, and on Sunday it's even more so when you see the kids and things like that. Can you just, again, tell us what it means to you to be part of an event that is so much bigger than the golf?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, absolutely. I think it's the one thing standing on that 18th green and seeing Avery, the girl that was our sort of pin flag holder, and me being frustrated that I haven't holed a few putts this weekend, thinking about what she's going through and what her parents are going through, yeah, look, it really just puts things in perspective.

St. Jude do such incredible work, and it's great to come to this community to see the work that they do and see how much hope they give families and how much help they give families. It really is a one-of-a-kind institution that they are, and it's nice to feel like we come here this week and we're a small part of it.