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BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIPMay 25, 2011Rory McIlroySURREY, ENGLAND MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thanks for joining us. Good to see you keeping a bit better time than you did last night. RORY McILROY: Not my fault. Not my fault. (Laughter) MICHAEL GIBBONS: Start us off with last night, did you enjoy it? Did you have a good time? RORY McILROY: Eventually, when I got there. Yeah, it was great. It's always nice and this year was obviously special with the year that The European Tour had in 2010. To celebrate that, and also to remember Seve, as well. It was a great night. I think everyone enjoyed it. And you know, it brought back a few great memories from last year. You know, that week at Celtic Manor, to have the four major champions on stage, and the video they played at the end with Seve and everything, you know, it was a very special night. I think everyone really enjoyed it. MICHAEL GIBBONS: I take it you're hoping for a very special week this week. RORY McILROY: I'm really looking forward to this week. It's the first time I've sort of played back home, or in the sort of U.K. or Ireland soil for a while. Looking forward to the week. I played the golf course yesterday. I played 11 holes. I saw the changes on 15 and 18. I have yet to see the changes on the 8th hole but it looks it's in great condition and I love the way they have remodelled the 18th. It really invites to you hit a second shot in there and hopefully it will make for an exciting finish. Q. With all of you guys winning, watching each other win -- is it that you see this guy, like Graeme went out and won the U.S. Open, you've seen the guys that you've practised with do it, does it give you the momentum? RORY McILROY: It does, yeah. It definitely -- it motivates you and makes you more -- it makes you want it more; to see the four guys up on stage last night, and Charl winning the green jacket, it definitely hurt me a little bit, but it was -- to see those guys up on stage and to know that you play week-in and week-out with him and you can beat them in any given week, it gives you a lot of confidence that you can go out and do it. I've been close a couple of times; to win the biggest events in golf, that's my aim is to obviously play well and try and get into contention in those and try to win. So it's great to see those guys doing so well. But I would like to join them pretty soon. Q. It's like the surge that we had back in the 70s and 80s when Seve began it, and then Nick came and Sandy and Ian. There was that rush when everyone was trying to compete with each other and now you've got the same thing, a new generation doing the same thing. RORY McILROY: It does. It feels exactly the same. You have Seve, Woosie, Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer. You have all of the great Europeans I suppose dominating golf for a few years. I'm not saying that this group is going to dominate golf but definitely winning the Majors and winning the big events, it spurs everyone on, and it's great that so many of the guys are doing well. Obviously as I said, I would love to join them in that little group pretty soon. Q. You said about Charl wearing the green jacket, when he came on the stage last night in that green jacket, for a moment, did you think, that could be on me? RORY McILROY: Yeah, of course. Yeah, it's one of those things. But you know, I can go to the U.S. Open in a few weeks' time and it could all be forgotten about. Charl is a great friend and it was great to see him win and as I say, great to see those guys on stage. Q. Just for a moment -- RORY McILROY: Of course, it's tough. It's tough. But you know, I'm a big boy. I'll get over it. Q. Has it been difficult to get over? RORY McILROY: No, I'm fine now. It was obviously difficult the few days after. But it's good, it was a huge learning process for me, and I feel as if I learned from it and feel as if I've become a better player for it. Q. What have you done to get over it and how will you adapt to the pressure of being in the same position when it arises again? RORY McILROY: You know, I think to get over it, you can do a number of things. To be honest I just put it all in perspective to say where I could be or what I could be doing with my life at 22 years old and to be leading by four going into the last day of a major is a pretty nice position to be in. You could be thinking about all of the things you could be doing but this is what I've always wanted to do since I was a kid and it could be a lot worse. Q. Have you discovered any secrets about handling pressure in similar situations? RORY McILROY: Not really. I think I need to get myself into that position again know how I've got over it and if I'll handle it better. I think I've put a few things in place that will make me handle being in that position better again. But you never really know until you're tested in that environment. Q. Have you gone to anyone for advice? RORY McILROY: No, not really. I like to figure things out on my own. I've always said that, you know, the responsibility should be on me and I'm the one that should -- should you learn for yourself and learn from your mistakes and that's what I've tried to do. Q. How close to the bone did Poults get with his Tweets and can we look forward to you responding in kind? RORY McILROY: I can't really do anything now. It was -- it was all obviously a bit of fun. And I didn't have a come back. I just said, fair enough, you win. But no, it was a good bit of banter. We all love it and I could just imagine Poults and his caddie, Terry, just sitting there Tweeting there and just absolutely on the floor laughing. It's good fun. It would obviously be nice to go out and, I don't know, prove him wrong or prove anyone; just go and sort of stop all of those little jokes and the banter and stuff. Q. Has that almost become like a football team, the sort of feeling that you guys got together at Celtic Manor with the bonding that you did there? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's great, we come together once every two years, and that's basically it. For the other 51 weeks of the year and whatever else, we were individuals and we were trying to beat everyone else. So it's great for a week, but you know, you want to do well for yourself and not just the team. Q. What I meant was the banter that obviously went on? RORY McILROY: There's a lot of bonding that goes on that week and you become quite close to a few people. You come close to people that you might not have necessarily been that close to before, which is the great thing about the Ryder Cup. You spend so much time with these guys and you develop a special relationship with them. Q. Have you got a ticket to Wembley on Saturday? RORY McILROY: Yes, I do, indeed. It's going to be tough. Barcelona they can turn it on at any stage they want. You know, if United keep it close for the first hour, I think maybe catch them on the break or something, I think that's the only way. Because we are not going to dominate possession. Barcelona are so good at that. They are going to retain the ball. So we are going to have to catch them on the break and try to make the most of the opportunities. It will be tough. But I'm looking forward to it. Q. Graeme said that on Saturday you headed off for the airport and then your plane was delayed and then he turned up. Who bought the first beer? RORY McILROY: I don't know -- well, they were free to be honest. (Laughter). He opened the first beer. He was the one scrambling around looking for a bottle opener. It was funny, when we got on to the plane, I said to him, "I just want to thank you for the chat we had out there today." We didn't speak one word to each other the whole day and that's the way it had to be. It was a very strange atmosphere out on the course last Saturday morning. I said to him, "Thanks very much for that chat. That was great. Really enjoyed that. " It was good. I'm glad that he played so well, because I felt like I brought the best out of him. I haven't seen him play that well, ever, really. He was 7- or 8-under par for 16 holes and didn't really miss a shot. I played really good, and I missed a couple opportunities around the turn, but I was 5-under and got beat 3 & 2. It's a tough school, but I'm glad I felt as if I brought the best out of him and he had to play his best golf to beat me. Q. He actually said it was a little frosty and he sort of hinted that you might have initiated the silence. RORY McILROY: Yeah, I went out with the plan that I was going to -- that I wasn't going to speak or I wasn't -- I was going to try and play a little slower. Because I knew, you know, he's a slower player than I am and he was probably going to -- so I was walking slower, trying to get to my ball second, just trying to do all of the things that he was probably going to do to me. (Laughter). When he teed off first, on the first tee and I teed off second, and as soon as my ball left the clubface, he was gone. He was 20, 30 yards ahead of me and I was like, okay, this is the way it's going to be, fine. But that's the way it has to be because you're trying to beat each other and for that four hours or whatever it is on the golf course, you're obviously enemies, but afterwards, you're best of friends and that's a great way to be. Q. You worked with Dave Stockton at Quail Hollow on Monday. Is that going to be an ongoing relationship and what do you expect him to do for you and what did he do for you? RORY McILROY: I just had a session with him out there before I come in here. He's here this week. I feel he can help me with a lot of things. He's been there and done that. You know, he's a Major Champion. Mostly on routine and how to approach a putt. Nothing really that technical. We don't feel as if there's in this case technically wrong with it but the way to approach green reading, and that's basically it. And I think it feels very good at the minute. I feel as if from ten to 20 feet, I've really improved. It's just about trying to free up a little bit the ones under ten feet. Q. Do you feel you've rushed putts or you've been fast? RORY McILROY: No, it was actually the other way around. I felt I was taking a little too long over them, having three looks at the hole and sort of, while you're taking your practise strokes -- I used to take three practise strokes. I don't take any practise strokes now, one look at the hole, go. Very instinctive. Instead of almost thinking about it too much. Just trying to let it all flow, let it all go, and I think he can help me a lot with that. Q. Given the results against Graeme on Saturday, do you think you got those tactics wrong and would do it differently? RORY McILROY: No, not at all. I was 5-under par through 16 holes, and you know, he was, what, 7- or 8-under. I didn't do much wrong. I made a bogey at the first but after that, I made four birdies and an eagles. I don't see what else you could do. I could have held a couple more putts around the turn but I thought tactically I did everything I was supposed to do and he just played better than me. Q. You didn't suddenly think, I'm going to start talking to him. RORY McILROY: No, because he wouldn't talk to me. I played Retief on the first day and Nicolas on Friday, and there wasn't much chat going on. So I mean, I wasn't going to try and do anything differently just because I was playing G-Mac. Q. What do you work on your mental skills specifically? RORY McILROY: No, I feel like it's on the -- I feel ball-striking comes very naturally to me -- Q. Just generally on your mental game. Do you work on it very specifically or just a part of your usual practise? RORY McILROY: I wouldn't say I work on my mental skills specifically. Q. Do you use mind techniques at all? RORY McILROY: Not really. Q. Do you feel that what was said about you not going to Jacksonville was fair, and all of the talk lately has been about the Masters and so on; what do you feel about what was said? RORY McILROY: I don't feel as if I got as much flak for it as Lee did. I thought Lee got most of it, obviously being No. 1 in the world and everything. And I thought it was slightly unfair. Lee said if he would have been able to play the week before at Quail Hollow, would he have went. For me personally, if I had played The Players Championship, the U.S. Open would have been my sixth week in seven and it just would have been -- I didn't feel it would have been the best way to prepare or to go into a Major Championship having played that much golf in a row. This would have been my fourth week in a row, memorial next week being my fifth and then have a week off and then play the U.S. Open. So yeah, I thought a few things that were said were a little unfair and they didn't really -- I don't know if it's just because people are so used to seeing the best players at The Players Championship every year. And I mean, to be honest, I know, it was Lee Westwood No. 1 in the world and myself, but it was still a great tournament, and two players are not going to make a difference to the championship at all. Q. And as far as next year is concerned, have you had anymore thoughts about whether you'll go next year? Has it made any difference to what you might do next year? RORY McILROY: Yeah, definitely. It depends on how the schedules work out. If I can -- ideally if I can go over there and play Quail Hollow and The Players Championship -- I mean, it depends where they put the Match Play next year. I said to myself at the start of the year, I didn't want to play more than three events in a row, and that was the reason. If I had of played that, it would have been right in the middle of a five-week stretch, which isn't -- I feel as if I get a little bit stale or, I feel like I just sort of start going through the motions a bit and I would rather be fresh and feel like I'm giving it 100 per cent every week guy out there. Q. Just as a follow-up, they seem, again, very insular in the fact that they criticise you and Lee for not going there, and yet here we are and none of them have come here for our big event. RORY McILROY: (Shrugging shoulders. ) Yeah, it's true, but this is the first year that people have noticed, oh, Americans are not coming to this event. This has not been said, you know, for the past five or ten years, has it. This is the first year that it's really being brought up. I think this is a great tournament, and I don't think the exclusion of one or two players is going to make a difference. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Rory, thanks very much, good luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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