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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 19, 2007Rory McIlroyCARNOUSTIE, SCOTLAND STEWART McDOUGALL: Ladies and gentlemen, Rory McIlroy, 3-under par, 68. Rory, this is your first major championship. Give us your feelings. How do you feel now? RORY McILROY: It's been pretty good. A pretty good opening day. I played really well out there. I was very nervous the first few holes. But when I birdied the 5th, I sort of got in my stride and I sort of got going there and played some really solid golf and probably should have birdied the 7th, as well. But overall this was a really good day. I soaked up the atmosphere and really enjoyed it. Q. You've obviously dreamed of this, and you're still quite young. What sort of target did you set yourself this week in terms of preparation? What way did you prepare for it? RORY McILROY: I just wanted to come here, try to make the cut and win the silver medal, and that was about it, really. I sort of come into these weeks just trying to learn as much as possible. Playing with Henrik and Miguel today was great. Miguel is a terrific player, and Henrik won a World Golf Championship this year, and they're really good guys. They're both really good guys. I just tried to learn as much as I can from them. And I just -- after the European Team Championships last week, I just sort of went home, relaxed and tried to get my head around playing in The Open. I took a couple of days off and just relaxed and then I practised Friday and Saturday. And then got here on Sunday and just had -- well, two practise rounds, Monday and Tuesday, and then played the loop, the last four last night and Wednesday. I played the practise rounds with some pretty good players, as well. I played with Trevor Immelman and Niclas Fasth and Richie Ramsay. And I played four holes with Nick Faldo on Monday, but it was a bit wet for him so he went in (laughter). I just sort of tried to prepare, like any other tournament, just try and go out there, play your own game. And I played pretty well today. Q. Talk about the support you got from people back home and also the reception you got on the 18th. Have you ever experienced anything like that at all? RORY McILROY: No, no way. It was just like a chill down the back of my spine with the ovation I got. It's fantastic. Holywood Golf Club are just so supportive of me. It's great to see so many people over. I think with their support it's really helped me, not just today but throughout the year to get me where I am now. They've just been fantastic. I've got a lot of family here, as well. Everyone just really wants me to do well and are really nice. Q. How much do you sense achievement, Rory, in that -- until you finished, and it may stand for the whole day, you're the only person without a bogey on your card at Carnoustie. RORY McILROY: Yeah. Q. Were there nerves or -- RORY McILROY: No, not really. A couple of holes out there that I parred felt like bogeys. But to play probably the toughest Open course, to shoot 3-under with no bogeys, it's pretty good. And I just tried to go out there and just hit one shot at a time. Everyone says that. But I really just tried to concentrate on each and every shot. I don't think a bogey ever ran across my mind. I don't think I had that many bad shots to put myself in a position to make bogeys. I just sort of went out there with the mindset that I'm going to enjoy this and I'm going to learn as much as possible from Miguel and Henrik. If I play well, I play well; if I don't, I'm sure I'll learn something, anyway. Overall it was a really good day. Q. Did that mindset prevent you having nerves? RORY McILROY: No, I was very nervous on the first tee and for the first couple of holes. I was very nervous and then I sort of settled into my rhythm, got into my stride. After that it was pretty good. But the first few holes I was nervous. I didn't hit a fairway until the 5th. After that it was just really good golf. Q. For those of us who don't know much about it, could you tell us a little bit about Holywood Golf? Is it a version of Royal County Down? RORY McILROY: No, definitely not. No, it's just like -- it's a private members' club. It's a par 69, 6,100 yards. It's not that much of a test for me anymore. But it's good to go out there in the eveningtime and practise my short game. There's some slopey greens and stuff on it, so it's pretty good. I've been a member there since I was seven. My dad's been a member there his whole life, as well. Everyone knows everyone. The support I get is tremendous. Just everyone in the club just wants me to do well. It's very nice that they're like that for me. Q. Is there anything specific today that Miguel or Henrik said that you could take away and learn from or anything they did? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think -- I mean Miguel is just such a good shot-maker. He just sort of like -- he plays away from the trouble, but he can shape his shots so that when he -- he's never really getting into big trouble. And he knows when to play for pins and not when to play for pins. Henrik hits it long off the tee and hits it sky high. It's really -- that's the sort of course Carnoustie is, as well; you have to think your way around and plot your way around. You can shoot some irons off the tee, but there's holes you have to be aggressive with. Players like that know when to be aggressive and when not to. That's what I'm learning. Q. The putt at 6, did you take that quickly and try to get it over with? RORY McILROY: No, not really. I think I just didn't hit it hard enough on the line that I chose. But I think the first putt I think I was sort of thinking of making eagle and hit it four feet past. I had a pretty good putt on the way back, just didn't hit it hard enough to hold the line. But I didn't birdie any of the par-5s, two par-5s today, which is pretty disappointing. But I'll take 68 and I'll see where I finish. Q. Can I ask you, for those of us who don't know, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, please? Do you have a part-time job to support yourself? Have you just left school? What do you and your friends do? RORY McILROY: I left school when I was 16 after my GCSE's. Q. How many did you get? RORY McILROY: A few (laughter). And then I just sort of started playing full-time amateur golf. The golf in Ireland has been supportive in our council. They've helped me tremendously and traveled all over the world at their expense, pretty much. And it's great to have that support behind you. And there's actually -- I've got a few friends here today. A few of them are actually working here, doing the scoreboards and stuff. And I've sort of -- I'm pretty much a normal teenager. I like to go out and go to the cinema, try and think about golf as little as possible when I'm off the golf course and just try and lead a normal life. I think I've pretty much done that for the last 18 years. I'm a normal teenager, but I'm a pretty good golfer, as well. I think my friends will say that, as well; I'm a pretty normal guy and I don't really like to think about or talk about golf whenever I'm trying to enjoy myself. Q. You're not a teenage hoodie then? RORY McILROY: No, definitely not. Q. You've played a number of professional tournaments now. Do you see your game developing as a result of it? RORY McILROY: Yeah, definitely. I can just see myself getting so much more consistent. I'm not shooting 80s anymore. I'm learning all the time with experience, trying to hit middles of greens and just trying to hit fairways and taking your chances when they come. Definitely around here that's what you have to do. I'm learning to do that, and I think I've been a lot more consistent this year than I have been in the last couple of years. So I think I'm improving all the time, and hopefully I can keep improving, yeah. Q. Sporting success is often in the genes. Do you have any relatives, distant or close, who have had sporting success of their own in the past? If not, do you have any sort of sportsmen or heroes you look up to in the sporting world? RORY McILROY: Yeah, my dad was a pretty good golfer, he played off scratch. When he still plays -- he beat me last winter, actually, so he can still play a bit. My uncle, Michael, he played Gaelic for Armagh. He also played football for Glenavon. Actually Damien, he was a pretty good -- he was a pretty good player in his own right. That's pretty much about it, really. I think from an early age Tiger Woods has always been my hero, like he won the '96 U.S. Amateur and I think after that it was just Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. And he's been my one big influence in my whole golfing life. Q. What's your father's name? RORY McILROY: Gerry, with a G, McIlroy, obviously (laughter). Q. Talking about Tiger, one shot back of him tonight. How are you going to be able to sleep tonight? RORY McILROY: I think I'll be able to sleep all right. I'm knackered. But it's just -- yeah, it's pretty special feeling to say you shot one better than Tiger. And then to be playing partners as well, with Henrik and Miguel, it's just awesome. Yeah, I mean I'll probably go home tonight and put my feet up, watch the highlights and then probably just go straight to bed. I've got a pretty early start in the morning. I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping tonight. Q. We understand that your success already has been talked about in Ireland; you have a documentary. You take it all in stride. Is that in your personality? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think so. I'm pretty calm about most things. I've sort of grown up around the media, I suppose, in the last few years. I sort of learned how to handle it. I think I've been getting interviewed since I was about seven or eight years old. I'm pretty good at this talking thing, I think (laughter). So I just -- I think I do take it in my stride. I think it's probably one of my good characteristics, I suppose, yeah. Q. We know a lot of names about the stars in Hollywood. What about stars in Holywood? Do you have a most important person there? RORY McILROY: I think the guy that invented the cat's eyes in the road was from Holywood. Q. Have you decided if and when you're going to turn pro, and did you at all give any consideration to -- RORY McILROY: Yeah, I did, I was actually going to go over and play for TSU, when I was 16. I did the SAT and I was going to go over but then the only reason I was going to go over was to get golf in the winter pretty much. And I was getting so much anyway I thought -- I wasn't really that keen on the school part, so I just sort of decided to stay at home. I went down to Australia the last couple of years and played in a couple of events down there. I think it was probably a good decision then that I didn't go. Q. What's the best score you've ever shot in Holywood and when did you shoot it and how many strokes did you -- RORY McILROY: The best I've shot is only 64, 5-under. I don't play that much. But I shot 61 at Portrush, which is 11-under. That's probably my best round of golf ever. I play with the guys in Holywood. I gave them a shot a hole and see how they do. Most of my friends are good players, anyway; they're between scratch and 5, so they're all pretty handy. Q. You came from the Faldo Series. Talk about what that did for you. RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean Nick's been great the last couple of years for me. I'm on Team Faldo and I got to spend time with him. He's been really helpful over the last couple of years, trying to learn things from him. He's won six majors and played in so many Ryder Cups. He's been a great influence on me. Probably the thing I've learned most from him is just course management. I've played with him a few times and just the way -- he's not the longest off the tee, but just the way he can position his ball around the golf course is really good. I don't know what he shot today, but I'm sure he can -- this course, when he's on his game, will probably suit him because he just hits it in the places he wants to. He's a great iron player. In his prime he was fantastic. He's really good, as well, because anytime I'm in a tournament he's in, he's offered to play a practise round with me and stuff. He's been really helpful. Q. As an amateur player did you play a lot of links golf? RORY McILROY: I think because I pretty much grew up on playing links golf, it is probably a bit of an advantage. In the winter I play Royal County Down and played Portrush, and I think that stands me in good stead. I know how to hit the wind shots that some of the Americans can't play. But everyone is a good player here, so I'm sure they know how to hit the shots. Luckily I didn't have to hit many of those wind shots today. It was quite calm, so that's nice. Q. I guess if you were watching Tiger in '96 you saw Justin Rose in '98. Does that show you what's possible at your age? RORY McILROY: Definitely. Yeah, Justin's performance at Birkdale was phenomenal. And I think if he can do it at that age, I'm sure I can, as well. And that's probably going to be my mindset for the next few days. So it's just going to be -- it's going to be a lot of fun to go out there and -- I'm playing well. I feel I'm hitting the ball good. If I can hole a few putts, hopefully I can be in Justin Rose's position in only nine years. Q. You said some of your friends are on the scoreboards. Did you find it hard not to look at scoreboards, or do you like looking at them? RORY McILROY: I like looking at scoreboards to see how people are doing. It's nice to see your name up on the scoreboard, as well. It doesn't bother me that much. But I just like to know what's going on, I suppose. Q. If there was one memory of the day that you'd like to take away with you? RORY McILROY: Probably the 2-iron into the last, probably 230 to the pin, into the wind, it was a great shot. Q. You spoke earlier about the handicaps of your friends. What handicap are you, yourself? RORY McILROY: +6. Q. The 14th and 15th today you missed birdie putts? RORY McILROY: Yeah. Q. Were you fearful they would upset your momentum into the closing three holes? How did you react to missing those putts? RORY McILROY: 14 -- actually I pushed both of them, actually. But the one on 15 I actually hit it further by than I thought I was. I held that one coming back, so that was pretty nice to hole that one. After I birdied 13 I knew I had a par-5 coming up. I hit a good drive, I was in perfect condition and walked off with a par there. It was a bit disappointing, but it could have been a lot worse, as well. So 68 is still a great score. I sort of held that putt on 15. It wasn't -- it was sort of to keep the momentum going, and then obviously 16 and 18 are playing really tough. And 17, half a chance. I knew if I could par those last three holes it would be a great result for me. STEWART McDOUGALL: Thank you very much, indeed. End of FastScripts |
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