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January 31, 2009
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Q. Give us a reaction to the ten holes you've played.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, started off great. I hit a lovely drive off the first and hit a great 9-iron to ten feet and holed it, which is a great way to start. I had a great tee shot on 2 but got a little unlucky. Ended up in the rough and a pretty heavy lie and hit it over the green. The greens were very firm and fast and a bit tricky. I didn't get it up-and-down.
So went back to level and then birdied next hole. I had a drive and a 4-iron, which the 4-iron, I was all over it. Just pitched on the lip of the bunker, came back in and hit a great bunker shot to six feet and then parred all the way around. Held a great par putt on the 7th from about ten feet, which really sort of kept my momentum going and then had a great 5-iron from 225 into 10, two feet, and it was a great way to finish.
Q. Is that the shot of the day you? You finished with an eagle this morning at 18; is that equally as good, the shot this afternoon?
RORY McILROY: Oh, even better. I hit the 5-iron pure, nice little hold-up shot to two feet. I couldn't ask for a better way to finish.
Q. You seem to enjoy the fact that when somebody gets near you --
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I love all of the competitiveness. Louis made birdie on 7 just before me, and I knew I really had to just grind on the putt; and I held it, which was nice. As I say it was, a great way to finish and puts me into a great position going into tomorrow morning.
Q. You seem to be coping with the stop/start?
RORY McILROY: I like getting out early and just getting on with it. Hopefully with no delays tomorrow, we'll be able to play the back nine pretty easily and then hopefully have no delays and get finished tomorrow.
Q. You never look any further than the next shot, but this would be a fantastic first victory for you.
RORY McILROY: It would be huge. One of best events on Tour. For this to be, if I could pull it off, it would be absolutely fantastic. But as you said, I've got the 11th tee shot tomorrow is the only thing on my mind, and that's all I can do, just think about that and see what happens tomorrow.
Q. You have come close, a couple of playoffs, will you use that experience if it gets tight tomorrow?
RORY McILROY: Definitely. I think I've learned a lot from those experiences, as well. Yeah, it will stand me in good stead and hopefully if I keep playing the way I am, I'll definitely be able to go close.
Q. Avoid a playoff.
RORY McILROY: That's the plan.
End of FastScripts
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