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VOLVO WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

May 20, 2011

Rory McIlroy

CASARES, SPAIN

Q. Reaction from today?
RORY McILROY: Didn't quite play as well as I did yesterday. I threw a few birdies at Retief and today it was sort of the other way around. Nicolas actually played really well. He didn't make a mistake. I was having to hole putts for halves all day.
You know, played pretty good the back nine. Had a few chances. But you know, just sort of ran out of holes basically. But yeah, I felt as if I played okay. I wouldn't say anything spectacular but I feel as if my game is in decent shape.

Q. It's almost one of those where he's a dangerous player because he's got through and the pressure is off, isn't it?
RORY McILROY: I suppose it's the same with me, as well. Obviously would you love to finish top of your group, but going out and knowing that you're already through, it's hard to get the intensity level up to the point that you really want it to.
Yeah, I probably didn't have the intensity today that I would have had had I needed to win. But I still went out there and tried my hardest to beat him. He just played very well today.

Q. And just potentially if Graeme does get through, you face a good mate in G-Mac.
RORY McILROY: I was either going to face him, you know, tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon if it worked out. Yeah, I mean, it's going to be -- he's a gutty competitor. He's not going to give me anything. It's going to be a really tough match.
It would be a great win for me, and you know, I'm really looking forward to it if it happens.

Q. A bit strange playing against him?
RORY McILROY: Not really. I'll just try and treat it like I'm playing anyone else. When we obviously get on the golf course and you're playing against one another, you know, you're trying to beat him as much as you can, and he's trying to do the exact same thing to you.
I'm sure we'll chat a little bit around the course, and I'm sure it will be quite a friendly game. But the end of the day, here to try to win a tournament and to win it, I need to get through him. That's the No. 1 thing on my mind.

Q. Have you played against him in much match play, competitively?
RORY McILROY: We have played some games in practise rounds together and stuff but that's really been it. I've never really been in contention with him or in the final group with him or anything like that. Never played match play against him, either. It's going to be a fresh experience for both of us.

Q. When you played in The Ryder Cup sort of practising together, did you have a little wager or anything like that?
RORY McILROY: Not really. It was a bit different in The Ryder Cup. If we were playing just a normal Tour event, if we were going out on a Tuesday morning or something, we might put a bit of money on it or whatever. But it's going to be good tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it.
Hopefully the fans come out and watch. It will be definitely one of the more interesting matches tomorrow morning, so it should be.

Q. And still confident?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm driving the ball really well. I hit some really good iron shots out there, even this afternoon. And I held a couple of nice putts, actually, just didn't hole enough. I didn't give myself that -- every time I gave myself a chance, Nicolas would hole out, you were always having putts for halves.
I was 3-down with five or six to play and I was really trying hard to get -- all I wanted to do was try to take him up the last. But I just ran out of holes. Hit two good shots into 15, and any other day a par on 15 could win you the hole. And he hit two great shots in there and nearly made birdie. And I had a chance to extend the match on 16 from about 15 feet but just started the putt a little too far left.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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