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3 IRISH OPEN

August 1, 2010

Rory McIlroy

KILLARNEY, IRELAND

RORY McILROY: Look forward to the next two weeks, they are the most important. I feel as if I'm playing nicely. My head wasn't really in it for the last 27 holes this week.

Q. Why?
RORY McILROY: I don't know. I suppose I've got this big run coming up and I just sort of -- I was sort of looking ahead to that a bit more than I was this week, if I'm honest with you. Just couldn't really get my head around here and get focussed.

Q. And you started yesterday with two birdies?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I know, I was really -- then I made the double on 6, and then birdied 7, gave it back again at 8 and ever since then, it was really, you know, I wasn't quite there. I mean, I was trying to hit the shots and just nothing was really going for me.

Q. Was it a little bit similar to the Open in some ways?
RORY McILROY: No, not really. It wasn't the same. Actually, it felt very similar to the Irish Open last year. I don't know what it is, but I just -- I don't know if it's the extra pressure or whatever, but I just find it very hard to really get myself going.
So it's quite -- it's a difficult week for us, definitely, especially with the two weeks coming up as well. If it had of been any other week, I definitely wouldn't have played.

Q. Did you feel you were maybe too aggressive yesterday?
RORY McILROY: No, not really. Not at all. I mean, maybe for the back nine I was trying to push it a little bit too hard.

Q. What do you think of the course here? Would you like to see the Open come back here?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, it's a good track. It's definitely -- everybody was talking about 20-under winning, and it's not looking anything like that. So it's tricky more than tough, but it's nice to play short courses now and again. I think most of the guys have enjoyed it.

Q. Would you like to come back here?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, the atmosphere was brilliant. It was fantastic. They love the golf down here and really, really support it. Yeah, definitely, I wouldn't have any problems with it coming back here.

Q. Is it a case that you go out like you did on Thursday and you really try to rip open the throttle and go for it and it doesn't work and you get stuck in a rut maybe?
RORY McILROY: A little bit. You know, I try to start every tournament the same, just try and start off nice and steady and try and play myself into the tournament a little bit. You know, I sort of did that the first two days. I felt as if I could have been a couple better, and I suppose with the good start on Saturday and then not really taking advantage of it on the front nine and then giving away all of the shots on the back nine, it's sort of tough to come back from that, especially, as I said, especially at the Irish Open, because you're trying so hard, not just for yourself but for everyone else and it just becomes that little bit more difficult.

Q. You sort of learn something from every tournament, don't you, you learn how to cope with things and these things are going to happen?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm going to have to deal with this every year of my life. It's not something I can get away from unless I don't play but I'll definitely be playing. It's just tough. I think that's why you haven't seen that many Irish winners because it's just tough to win your National Open. PÃ¡draig has done it just once and Shane did it last year.
But before that, it just was very, very hard, because you've got the burden of expectation on you from everyone else around, and you're trying to live up to that and if it doesn't quite come off, then you're being very hard on yourself and then that reflects poorly on your game, as well.

Q. What about Akron this week, would it be easy to clear your head?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm looking forward to the next two weeks. They are a big two weeks for me, playing against basically the best field in golf, you've got most of the Top-50 guys there and you've got the top hundred guys in the PGA. I haven't played Whistling Straits, but Akron is a fantastic golf course. I'm thinking, go there and get off to a nice start. I'm getting there Tuesday evening, so need to do a bit of preparation on Wednesday. And if I can go there with a good frame of mind, hopefully I can have a good week.

Q. You didn't find it all that easy last year, was it because of the way you with are playing?
RORY McILROY: I was working on a couple of things, definitely. I didn't hit it great at Loch Lomond and the Open last year and I was working on a few things and took a bit of time to bed in, and it eventually clicked the week at the PGA where I finished third. So it only took me a week to sort of get over it.

Q. Do you like it?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's fantastic. You've got to hit it really well. The greens are one of the best surfaces we play on all year, and it's not -- usually you don't get a winner that's 16 or 20-under. It's usually around 10-under par that wins which I quite like.

Q. And you were joking you didn't want to be the only Irish man on The Ryder Cup Team without a major --
RORY McILROY: Yeah, a little bit, I definitely find it easier to focus for the big events. So I don't think I'll have any problem with trying to get up for these next two events.
You know, as I said, if I can keep playing the way I am, and probably need to do a bit of work with Michael Bannon tomorrow and just straighten up a couple of things. If I can go there with everything in good shape, you know, hopefully I'll have a good chance.

End of FastScripts

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