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ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIPOctober 7, 2007Rory McIlroyST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND Q. This is one of The European Tour's biggest events, how does it feel to see your name so high on the leaderboard? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's a pretty nice feeling. Start of the week, I knew that I had to do something pretty special to try and get my Tour card, and tied third at the minute, which probably might just come up a little short. So hopefully a few of the guys -- well, not hopefully, but if a few of the guys on the way in make a couple of mistakes it might be enough to get my Tour card but overall I'm absolutely ecstatic. Q. Wonderful front nine, got to 14, made 7; how on earth did you bounce back with three birdies after that? It would have blown away a lot of people let alone an 18-year-old. RORY McILROY: I've been hitting my irons really well all week and a couple of the flags, 15, 16, 17, are flags you don't usually go at, but I felt confident if I could just get the club on the back of the ball it was going to be pretty close. Anyway, I did that, and I was very unlucky to not make birdie at 16, as well. So, I mean, I was just really confident over those iron shots and had a really good finish. Q. As you say, third place will get you your card. How aware of that were you on the course of that situation? RORY McILROY: Not really. I went to 15-under after the 10th, I sort of thought, you know, try and hang on a bit. Then I bogeyed 12 and doubled 14 which wasn't so good but as you said I came back really well. I'm really happy, and if I have to go another week until I get my Tour card, I'm happy enough for that. But good thing for that is I probably won't have to go to second stage of Tour School now; I'm straight into the final, even if I don't play well the next couple of weeks. Q. I was talking to Andrew Chandler, your manager, and he said you're the best player at your age that he's ever seen in his life, and he knows a thing or two; how does that make you feel? RORY McILROY: Yeah, pretty a amazing. There's been a lot of great players very young. Obviously you've got Tiger and Sergio and Adam Scott and people like that. But I'm just trying to take it all in my stride at the minute. I'm just really happy with where I'm at with my game. Q. Obviously a magnificent round for you and generally a great event. RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's been absolutely fantastic. To finish in the top five at this event is something pretty special, and it's obviously my best ever performance in a professional event, and to do it here at St. Andrews, as well, is pretty good. So overall, I'm just really happy and you know, we'll see how the guys finish on the course and hopefully somehow I might be able to get my card. Q. Even if that doesn't quite come off, you've still gone a long way towards that. RORY McILROY: Yeah, exactly so I'm just really happy with my week's work, and move on next week and hopefully do the same. Q. Did you feel any extra pressure this morning because of that before you started the round? RORY McILROY: No, not really. St. Andrews is always a course I've played well at and I knew if I could go out and play the front nine in 32, 33, which I did, which I was able to do -- I mean, I think the par 5s sort of cost me, as well. I played those at 3 over today which wasn't so good. But I'm not going to complain because I've played so well. You know, as I said, I'm just really happy and hopefully it's a huge step for bigger and better things. Q. Not that you obviously needed it, but did you find Luke Donald a calming presence? RORY McILROY: Yeah, Luke's a really nice guy. It's the first time I met him and obviously playing with my amateur, Mike, as well, sort of the mood all week has been pretty chilled and the atmosphere out there today was great and I was trying to make birdies for Mike, and Mike helped me on a few holes as well. I think we've done pretty well in the team event, as well, which is nice so it's been a pretty good week's worse. Q. Are you surprised at how easy you've found the transition from amateur to professional? RORY McILROY: Not really. I think because I've played so many events as an amateur in professional tournaments, I think I've fitted in really well and I know most of the guys out here anyway. So, that's been pretty nice. You know, if I can -- hopefully if I can keep going the way I am, there's a lot of good things out on Tour for me. So, you know, hopefully I can just keep playing well. End of FastScripts |
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