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DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY DP WORLD

November 20, 2009

Rory McIlroy

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

SCOTT CROCKETT: Rory, thanks for coming in and joining us, as always. Give us your thoughts on the day. Very much a day of two halves, good in the front nine and not so good on the back nine. Just give us your own thoughts.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was like nearly the complete opposite of yesterday. Not best on the front nine and then very good on the back nine, where today's, I was the other way around.
I got off to a perfect start really, birdieing the first and the second, eagling 7, and even the birdie on 9, to sort of cap things off on the front nine. It was a perfect way to start to get myself right back on top of the leaderboard.
You know, I felt as if I played the back nine okay, just those couple of short putts on 14 and 15. But I still feel I'm playing well enough to give myself a shot at the title this week.
So I have to think I'm still in a good position going into the weekend to not dwell on the lost opportunities on the back nine there.
SCOTT CROCKETT: You said yesterday and on television, it was a little distracting playing with Lee yesterday with all of the rest of the stuff that was going on. Was it perhaps a little easier today to concentrate on your own game and where you are in this tournament?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, definitely. It was nice not to worry about what my playing partner is doing to be honest. I went out there just thinking about my own game and just trying to go out and shoot as low as possible, and I was doing that on the front nine, and then you know, it was still -- with the conditions out there, it's still a pretty good round. But it could have been a lot better.
SCOTT CROCKETT: Was it a scoreboard-looking day for other names?
RORY McILROY: I was looking. Obviously when I went to the top of the leaderboard I was seeing what everybody else was doing. I was just trying to keep myself there.
The biggest thing today, the most disappointing thing was 14 and 15 are birdie holes and to bogey them, you are sort of losing three strokes on the feel. But I mean, I'm still in a good position. Positive going into the weekend.

Q. On the 7th, club, yardage and tap-in distance?
RORY McILROY: I had 3-iron, 231 pin, 18 inches.

Q. As one of the quicker players on Tour, how do you manage to keep in the zone when you're playing with one of the slower ones?
RORY McILROY: I thought today was good. I mean, playing in two balls, it moves pretty well. I think that, you know, play moved quite quickly today. I didn't think about it at all.

Q. Maybe it's my imagination, Rory, but I did notice that you looked a little bit sort of hot around the turn, sort of 10,11, you missed a couple of birdies -- you looked a little red in the face; not enough water or were you feeling the heat?
RORY McILROY: No, I'm fine. I'm all right.

Q. Just curious.
RORY McILROY: I thought you meant temper there. No, I'm good.

Q. You missed a couple of birdie putts?
RORY McILROY: Well, 10, I only had 107 yards to the pin and left it short. A good up-and-down for par.
And then 11 was another good chance and I missed that putt. But it was fine.

Q. Does that change the mood or the flow?
RORY McILROY: Not really. I made a great 2-putt on 12 and a great 2-putt on 13 for par.

Q. When your playing a shot under a bush and two 3-putts in a row, had you how frustrating is that, and how difficult is it to keep your patience in those situations?
RORY McILROY: It was very difficult, because it wasn't the best tee shot, but you know, I played a really good second shot there. You know, I gave the birdie putt a really good go. If I hit it a little softer, it probably would have taken a little more break and went in.
Yeah, it is very disappointing, especially that they moved the tee up on 15, as well today, so it was a good chance for a birdie.
But you know, I'm sure I'll make those shots up on the weekend somewhere. So not to worry.

Q. What are the main things you've learnt from all of the times you've been in contention for titles?
RORY McILROY: That you have to go out and win it. There's no point in trying to make pars because no one is going to give it to you out here. You've got to go out and you've got to keep pushing, you've got to try and make birdies, and post the best score possible.
SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you, as always, and good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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