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MASTERS TOURNAMENTApril 6, 2012Rory McIlroyAUGUSTA, GEORGIA Q. You said yesterday afternoon that you felt like you put yourself back in it. Talk about today. RORY McILROY: Yeah, for sure. You know, just from the get‑go this morning, I think the two birdies helped last night, put me in a positive frame of mind going into today and from the get‑go hit the ball a lot better. Had a great drive up 1 and sort of went from there and hit the ball in the fairway a lot more and was able to attack the pins. I ended up shooting 69, which I thought was a good score today in these conditions. Q. Did it get easier after the weather got better? RORY McILROY: No, I mean, it was sort of windy the whole way through, and it gusts here and it swirls in the trees, so it can become quite tricky at times. So I thought to get around there in 3‑under was a good effort. Q. How does it feel to be at the top of the leaderboard with that old guy Fred Couples? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's awesome. He was playing a couple groups in front of me and I heard a couple roars. I think he must have holed a pretty big putt on 16 for birdie to get to 5‑under, and it's good. It's good to see him come back and great to see him play well. It seems like most times he tees it up here, he usually makes the cut or he's in the mix. It just shows the more you know this golf course, the better chance you have. Q. Do you feel like you have momentum? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I do. It feels good. Yesterday felt a little bit tentative. Today felt better. And hopefully I can keep progressing through the weekend. Q. How does it feel different from last year at this stage and how does it feel the same? RORY McILROY: I'm not leading, so that's a bit different. I'm sort of in the pack. But it's not a bad place to be. I don't know, it feels different. I've been in this position before. I've come back here a major champion, and I come back here with a lot more experience than I had this time last year, and you think all that just sort of makes a difference. Q. Would you argue that because of your maturity, because you what you talked about, the learning experience, you might be in a better position right now than you were last year? RORY McILROY: Yeah, definitely. You could definitely make that argument that I'm a lot better equipped to handle this situation than I might have been last year. Yeah, I mean, I'm looking forward to the weekend, looking forward to getting out there and trying to shoot a good number and give myself a chance going into Sunday. Q. Is Freddie still considered a threat? I know he plays out on the Champions Tour, but he's got game. RORY McILROY: I haven't really played many tournaments with him at all. Even when I came out here, he was basically on the Champions Tour. But he still‑‑ I mean, the thing about Freddie, as well, he still hits the ball nearly as far as he did 10, 15 years ago. And yeah, I mean, it's impressive what he's doing, and we'll just have to see what he comes up with the final two days. Q. (Inaudible.) RORY McILROY: Yeah, exactly. I think the more you play Augusta, the more comfortable you get on the golf course. You know it so well, you're coming back here every year, and that must help a little bit. I'll tell you in 20 years hopefully how it feels. Q. Even in the several that you've played, though, do you see‑‑ RORY McILROY: Yeah, year by year you just start to get more comfortable, yeah. I grew up watching this tournament on TV, and it's like this sacred ground. The first time you get here you're scared of taking a divot out of the fairway. But now it's just one of the places we come to play, and it's a great honor to come back here and play, but I think definitely every year you get a little more comfortable. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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