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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 13, 2010Rory McIlroyST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND LYNN WALLACE: Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome Rory McIlroy. Thanks for joining us. This is your third Open Championship. This week what are your expectations? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, obviously just really looking forward to the week. St. Andrews at the Open is probably the biggest championship that we sort of play, and it only comes around every five years. There's a great atmosphere and a great buzz about the place. I'm pretty confident around this golf course. I feel as if I've played well here before, so hopefully it'll be a good week for me, and if I can go into Thursday playing the way I have been the last couple weeks, there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to contend come the weekend. Q. Can you give us your thoughts on the course. RORY McILROY: The course is perfect. The condition of the place is really good. I played here Friday, Saturday last week, and it was a lot firmer on Friday. It rained a little bit on Saturday, which softened it up a little bit, and I think the course was a little firmer last week than it is this week. But hopefully with a bit of wind and hopefully it doesn't rain too much on us, the course will continue to play nice and firm and fast, and it'll be a good challenge for everyone. Q. Hole 10, how was that playing today? And what's the best way to play it? RORY McILROY: I'm not sure how it was playing today because I didn't play. I didn't play the course. But I mean, it depends. It all depends on this course what way the wind is. You know, if it's into the wind, you can hit driver and take that bunker out of play, and if it's downwind you can have a good at the greens. I think most guys will be hitting driver there all week. Q. If the weather forecast is right and we do get some rough weather, how much will the early training that you did with Michael Bannon at Bangor come in in your favour? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I hope -- I'd like to think that most of the British and European guys are well equipped to play in the bad weather if it does come our way. Yeah, it's just something you've got to deal with. I mean, I've been round here enough to know how to run shots into the greens and keep the ball below the wind. There's not really much you can do when it's wet, you've just got to try to keep and dry as possible and try to persevere with the conditions and try and make the most of them. Yeah, I've played in a few bad conditions before, so -- Q. Growing up in that area, do you get some rough times, as well? RORY McILROY: Yeah. I usually tried to stay clear of those days and did something else. I mean, you've just got to -- it's the same for everyone else. You've just got to go out there and try and do the best that you can. Hopefully, as I said, the weather isn't going to be too bad for us this week. But if it is, that's just the way it goes, and you just have to deal with it. Q. You flew the teenage flag with distinction for a couple of good years. When you look behind you now, who do you see most prominently? I'm thinking Japan, Korea, Italy. Who's going to come now in the new young guns race? RORY McILROY: I mean, I've played a lot with Ryo Ishikawa over the past couple of years, and he's a very impressive golfer for 18 or 19 years old. I played with him at the U.S. Open. He was in contention after a couple of days there, won seven times on the Japan Tour. For how young he is, he's very, very impressive. He's one of the most impressive guys to watch out here. I think he's obviously going to have a huge future. Q. What about Noh? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I played with Noh in Singapore in 2008. He was 17 at the time and he was very impressive, also. He won on the European Tour this year in Malaysia, and as a teenager getting into all these big events, as well, it's so great, because you're gathering experience every time you go and play golf tournaments, which will stand them in good stead when they're as old as I am. (Laughter.) Q. There's four players here from Northern Ireland, yourself and Graeme McDowell and two other good players from Northern Ireland. Do you think that's just coincidence, or has it kind of specially equipped you for where you all are now? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, I think Northern Ireland is such a small place, I think there's only a population of 1.6 or 1.7 million. We've got some of the best golf courses in the world to go and play, which we probably take for granted. We've got two golf courses that are probably in the top 10 or 15 in the world right at our doorstep there. Yeah, Graeme winning a major this year, Darren playing so well for the last few years, myself, played well for the last couple of years, and got Gareth Maybin playing this week. You've got the likes of Michael Hoey who won on the European Tour last year in Portugal. So it's great obviously for Northern Irish golf and for Irish golf in general. I think, yeah, just having those sort of golf courses so close to us has probably helped us become the players that we are. Q. In previous Open appearances you opened up with a 68 and 69 and then fell away. Was there any reason for that? Due to expectation? Pressure? And have you after that beaten yourself up at all, lost opportunities after two good starts? RORY McILROY: I mean, at Carnoustie in 2007 I was just happy to be there. I didn't care if I shot 68 or 78 in the first round, I was just happy to be there. Last year at Turnberry I shot 69, but I didn't actually play very well for that. It was good to get round in 69, but I wasn't really playing well that week. That's why I fell away. I've never beaten myself -- I've only played in two, and I realise I've got hopefully a lot more Open Championships ahead of me. You know, as I said, even still, it's just great to be here, especially an Open Championship at St. Andrews is very special. Q. I think I'm right in saying you've never been worse than 69 on the Old Course. What is it that suits your game so much, and how different is the course this week compared to the Dunhill Links? RORY McILROY: Yeah, that's one of the things I noticed when I played here Friday and Saturday is how much different the course plays in the summer rather than when we play the Dunhill Links in October. The greens are a lot firmer, the fairways are a lot firmer, ball can sort of run out a bit more. There's a few more bunkers off the fairway that come into play. Sort of the strategy that you would use to play in the Dunhill wouldn't really work this week, so I've had to sort of change a few clubs off tees and everything and probably try to adopt a more conservative approach just to avoid all the bunkers out there that are waiting to swallow your ball up. Q. 12 months ago you arrived at Turnberry on the back of two very good performances at the first two majors of the year. It hasn't worked out that way this year. Does that create extra pressure? And also you toyed with changing your preparation for links golf going into the Open. Can you tell us how you've done that and where you've maybe played the last week or so? RORY McILROY: Yeah, going into the Open last year having finished 20th at the Masters and 10th at the U.S. Open Championship, I played well in the majors, and my expectations were high going into it. But this season hasn't been so good; missed the cut in the first two majors. But yeah, I mean, I know going into this championship that I've played well around this golf course before, which gives me a lot of confidence. But I suppose it also brings a little bit of added pressure knowing that I'm expecting myself to play well, and I'm sure a lot of people are expecting me to play well. So there's probably a little bit of added pressure. But if I can just sort of think back, I have a lot of great memories from this place. Hopefully those can stand by me for the week. Yeah, I mean, I didn't play Loch Lomond last week. I came here on Friday and Saturday and played a couple of rounds and just basically after the JP McManus Pro Am I've just been playing links golf. I've been up to Portrush and I've played County Down a few times. I actually played County Down last night with my dad about 5:00 in the evening before I came over here, which has been great. County Down is in great condition, and there's a lot of shots around there that I'll probably need for this week, so hopefully that was good preparation. Q. In view of what you just said and the fact that your preparation for Turnberry last year was similar, you spent it at home in your own bed and in view of what you said about St. Andrews, is it important as a player to cocoon yourself from the atmosphere of this town, because it is exciting, and keep your emotions under control? RORY McILROY: Yeah, definitely. I sort of tried to get a couple early practise rounds in last week so that I wasn't in any mad rush to get here, just so -- yeah, I mean, you can get swallowed up with the whole occasion because it is St. Andrews and it's the Open, especially the 150th anniversary and everything. It's going to be a very special week. I'm just trying to stay as low profile as possible, if that's going to be possible. But yeah, I'm just trying to take it easy the first few days and make sure when I come to Thursday morning I've got -- I'm full of energy and ready to go for the next four days. Q. There must be a huge sense of excitement for you. RORY McILROY: Yeah, there is, especially after G-Mac winning the U.S. Open, especially the European and British guys that haven't won majors, they say Graeme did it and they want to get in and get one. I'm sure there's a lot of people here that are very excited and very enthusiastic and very hopeful about their chances, and obviously I'm one of those people. Q. Unfortunately Seve can't be here this week. Can you just talk a little bit about him and your admiration for him and his style. RORY McILROY: Yeah. It is very sad that he won't be able to make it. I know that he wants to be here. It's just the doctors aren't letting him be here. Yeah, I mean, I was watching a bit of the golf last weekend, and I saw a camera brought to his house and talked to him for a bit, and it was very emotional, because he's still fighting and still trying to -- he's hitting balls and going for walks. You know, it just showed -- he was such a fighter on the golf course, and he's now having to fight off the golf course. I think everyone's thoughts are with him. It would have been great to see him here this week, but unfortunately he can't be. But hopefully he'll make a recovery and be able to travel. I played in the Seve Trophy last year, and he wasn't able to make it there, either. I've never had the chance to meet him, so it would be great to meet him one day. Q. You've talked just now and also at previous times about the effect of seeing G-Mac win in Pebble Beach. Can you honestly and truly say that you feel more confident that you can do well here as a result of something that Graeme did 8,000 miles away in California last month? RORY McILROY: Yeah. Q. And why? RORY McILROY: I think just because I've played so much golf with him. I've played a lot of practise rounds in majors with him, and I saw how he prepares for them. His game is suited really well for majors anyway. You know, he's a very solid ball -- he doesn't do anything wrong. He makes a lot of pars, gives himself lots of chances. And he's got a great short game. His game is well suited for majors. Yeah, I mean, just to see him win that, it gave me a lot of confidence just to know winning a major wasn't as far away as I thought it was. I had sort of viewed winning majors as this sort of higher level, and it sort of just made me realise that it wasn't. You just needed to play well in the right week and a few things go your way. Yeah, it did, it gave me a lot of confidence. Q. I don't know if you've noticed, but you're second favourite to Tiger with the majority of all the bookies. Are they being optimistic, pessimistic or just about right? RORY McILROY: Just about right? (Laughing) No, I don't know. Yeah, I think a lot of guys will be backing me more for just -- you know, they want me to do well more than anything else, and obviously the guys that are getting backed more than anyone else, the prices are going to fall a little bit. Yeah, I mean, coming in here is -- I knew I'd come in here as hopefully one of the favourites, but it doesn't put any extra pressure on me because I know if I go out and play this golf course the way that I know I can, I should have a good chance. Q. But you have not been afraid to talk yourself up? RORY McILROY: No, not really. I don't think you should be. I've played well here in the past, and if I don't let the occasion get the better of me, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to again. Q. With these huge greens, how important is lag putting? And on that basis, is someone like a young Rhys Davies an outside bet? RORY McILROY: Yeah, definitely. Guys are going to hit a lot of greens here because they are so big. Yeah, that's one thing that I did a lot of over Friday and Saturday was just hit putts from everywhere, off greens, 20 yards onto greens. You're going to have a lot of long putts this week. The guys that are able to get down in two from those positions are the guys that are going to do well. I mean, you can hit greens in regulation here, but you could have 50- and 60-footers all day, and if you can get those down in two, it definitely over the course of the tournament will save you a few shots. Rhys is such a good putter that if he can put himself on the greens, he'll have a great chance. He's been playing really well this year, and everyone knows how good his putting is. If he can get it rolling this week, I'm sure he'll get close. Q. I suppose the stereotype of you would be as a young player that you're likely to be impetuous and impatient. Do you accept that? And if so, do you do anything about it? RORY McILROY: I mean, yeah, it's something that I think everyone still tries to work on. When you feel like -- Pebble Beach I had a couple of good practise rounds, and you get out into the real thing and you start and you feel as if you're hitting it okay and things aren't quite going your way, and you try to get after a golf course with Pebble Beach with such small greens, and you pay the penalty. This course is a little different. You can be a little bit -- there's a bit more margin for error, especially around the greens and off the tee, as well, because the rough isn't quite as penal this week as it has been in the past. But yeah, I mean, if you look at the winners that have played here before, John Daly in '95, Tiger the last couple years, they're guys that are renowned for hitting it long and being quite aggressive. Hopefully that will play into my hands. Q. Given your close relationship with McDowell, did his win at the U.S. Open cost you any friendly bets amongst yourselves, or have you had some quite good-natured banter about it? RORY McILROY: We've had a lot of good-natured banter about it, definitely. Yeah, he's a great friend, and I'm just so happy for him. But I saw on Monday he moved up to 11th in the world, and I hung onto the 9th spot, so it was nice just to still say that I was ahead of him, just for a night anyway. Yeah, his life has completely changed after winning a major. It's great to see. He's obviously still the same guy, and he's a lot of fun. It was good to see him get back on the golf course last week. Graeme has done well around here before at St. Andrews, has shot 62 around here before. So if he can get his head in the right place this week, I'm sure he'd love to go back to back. Q. You've got another 30 years I'm sure to play in Opens. Why are you putting yourself under so much pressure to perform this week? RORY McILROY: I'm not putting myself under pressure to perform. I'm just quite confident. I've played well on this golf course before, and you know, I feel as if I'm hitting it well coming in. I played well in France. You know, and seeing G-Mac win, as well, it just feels like it's the right time to go out and play well and win one of these big events. I haven't played great in them, in the first two majors of the year, so it would be nice to make up for it and go close this week. LYNN WALLACE: Rory, thanks for joining us. Good luck this week. End of FastScripts |
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