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UBS HONG KONG OPENDecember 1, 2011Rory McIlroyFANLING, HONG KONG MICHAEL GIBBONS: Rory, thanks very much for joining us and start us off with your assessment of that fine round today. RORY McILROY: It was good. It was very good. You know, it was a very solid round of golf. I didn't make a mistake. You know, six birdies, no bogeys is always a nice way to start the tournament. You know, just played very solid from the first hole. Hit two good shots into the 10th and made a good par there. It was probably one of the toughest holes we played all day. And then, yeah, just gave myself a lot of chances. I think I hit 17 greens. I hit a lot of fairways and just kept giving myself opportunities and I was able to take a few, which was nice. Q. 64 is great score, but others are not finding it so easy. What is your view playing more difficult this time than perhaps in previous times? RORY McILROY: I think first of all, the greens are a lot firmer and a lot faster than they usually are, which obviously makes it tougher to get the ball close to the hole. But, you know, the wind today was obviously a big factor. It swirls in these trees. You can feel it one minute downwind and the next minutes right‑to‑left and you just really have to trust where the wind is coming from. I was able to do that today. I got a couple of gusts where the ball might have went a few yards left or right of where I wanted to, but all in all, I was able to handle the wind pretty well today. Q. You were not at the horse racing function last night, was it because of your schedule today? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was a very early start. We had an alarm call at five clock this morning, so the last thing I wanted to do was stay at the horse racing until 10.30 and not get back until late. I just wanted a good night's sleep and rest before starting this tournament. Q. This year we have seen you play so well, especially the last couple of months, you won the Shanghai Masters and you had a couple top three finishes. Is there anything extra you need to work on so that you can pick up more trophies? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think just getting myself into position is the start. And then, yeah, there might be a couple of things I can do, I can do better to turn those top fives and top threes into wins. I felt this year that I've definitely let two or three tournaments slip away from me. That's something I'm trying to work on so that doesn't happen. But you know, as long as I get myself in these positions and start winning more regularly, I think then it becomes a habit and hopefully I'll do it more often. I think it's a very encouraging sign that I'm able to post these top threes and top fives regularly. Hopefully all of a sudden I'll get on a run and maybe win a few events in a short space of time. But you know, I think it's just about consistency and putting yourself up there on a Sunday week‑in and week‑out, and all of that experience has got to help you in some way. Q. To have the defending champ in your group and put some breathing space between you already does that bring you extra confidence? RORY McILROY: No, not really. There's still a long way to go in this tournament. I've led a lot of tournaments from the first day, and I've won a couple of them, but I realise more than anyone else, there's a long way to go, over 54 holes. I'll have to play very, very well to pick up this trophy. Q. Anything special about the six birdies, any long putts? Just walk us through them really fast. RORY McILROY: First birdie I made was on the 14th. I just held a 15‑footer there. Birdied 16, held like a 20‑‑foot putt up the hill. I knocked it to about 2 1/2 feet on the first, so I made birdie there, sand wedge. No, it was all pretty routine. Q. Just a routine 64? RORY McILROY: Yeah, pretty much. (Laughter). MICHAEL GIBBONS: Rory, many thanks for joining us, well done. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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