MEN'S OLYMPIC GOLF COMPETITION

August 3, 2024

Rory McIlroy

Le Golf National

Quick Quotes

Q. Enjoying as the week goes on?

RORY McILROY: Sort of getting a little better each and every day. The story of the first to days was the mistakes and today I went out with the mindset of trying to limit those mistakes, which I did. It was a really solid round of golf and puts me in contention for a medal tomorrow.

Q. Have you done enough today?

RORY McILROY: I think the thing; I played the front nine very well, I shot 3-under on the front nine each day. If I can go out and play the front nine like I've played it, I'll be right there.

Q. A lot of big names at the top of the Leish. A potential for a check an exciting day tomorrow?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's amazing for the game to see all those sort the players up there. Obviously Xander who has had an incredible year; Scottie, best player in the world; you've got Jon Rahm, some younger players; Nicolai shooting 62 today. Yeah, it's an amazing leaderboard and should be an exciting day tomorrow.

Q. How much were you following the leaderboards?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I can't help myself. Don't have the discipline not to.

Yeah, I was looking at it most of the round, especially when there's a couple of, like Tommy is up there and keeping an eye on how he's doing.

Yeah, I've been watching it a good bit.

Q. Jason said it's got the feel of a major. Do you agree with that?

RORY McILROY: It's hard. You don't get this atmosphere at the Masters. It's different. I think it's a little more fun than a major. Sort of like a celebration in a way.

But yeah, it has the feel of a big-time event for sure. Maybe the crowd is a little more enthusiastic.

Q. Do you feel it's been more fun and can that help you tomorrow?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, look, it's a really nice environment to play in. Like I feel French this week, the amount of "Alle Rorys" I've had out there. It's been really cool.

Q. You talked yesterday about the roller coaster round you had yesterday, is there a strategy --

RORY McILROY: Again, as I said, I played the front nine in 3-under again, and walking to the 10th tee, I just said to myself, okay, just play a solid nine holes of golf here. Hit fairways; hit greens. Try to be a little more conservative in some ways and birdie the holes that you should do.

Made a really good save on 17, which was big. But apart from that, yeah, it was just a more even-keeled round of golf.

Q. Did you have a number in mind?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, it would have been nice to be able to squeeze a couple more shots out of the back nine. But I think tomorrow, depending on what the leaders do, I'm going to have to probably shoot my lowest round of the week to have a chance at a medal. That's the goal.

Q. The 18th hole, is it hard to be aggressive, as far as you hit, it rough on right?

RORY McILROY: Today I played down off the left. I hit 5-wood and 9-iron. It's not playing very long today. Played a little longer yesterday. But with the way the wind is, you can be a little more conservative off the tee and hit it into the fat part of the fairway and still have sort of a shorter, mid-iron.

Q. Jason was saying the experience affected him more than he thought. Have you found your experience --

RORY McILROY: I haven't really -- I think the one thing that we've been taken aback by is just how many people are out there. I think that was the thing that I've been surprised by. Actually my first one was Tokyo.

Especially the contrast of having no one here on the practise days, and then getting here and having 20,000 people, it's really cool. I think that's been the big talking point, just how great the support has been for us out here.

But yeah, I mean, I think I was in a certain mindset going into Tokyo and I left with a different mindset, just like I've done a lot of times in my career because I'm ignorant and naïve and don't give things much thought. But once you experience things, you start to see what the hype is about.

Q. The PGA TOUR transaction subcommittee, do they leave you alone or do you have to jump on Zoom?

RORY McILROY: I have no idea what's going on. I'm bliss fly unaware.

Q. Have you had a chance to see other stuff yet?

RORY McILROY: I saw the tennis the other night and then I'm hanging around. We'll see maybe a bit of athletics tomorrow night and then the gymnastics on Monday.