|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
WELLS FARGO CHAMPIONSHIPMay 5, 2012Rory McIlroyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA Q. What is it about Quail Hollow? Do you play a better course all year? RORY MCILROY: Probably not. You know, I really like this style of course. We play a few of them during the year, here, Akron, Muirfield Village, all sort of traditional, tree‑lined golf courses that really appeals to me, and you're just happy to be back there. Q. A round like you played today from what I saw, you could have shot 62 again out there today. Does it make you feel good or do you feel you left something out on the golf course? RORY MCILROY: I definitely feel like I've left a couple out there. The three‑putt on 16 was pretty disappointing. You know, a 66 is a good score out there, and I feel like I've got another one of those scores in me, and looking forward to doing that tomorrow. Q. Where did the magic come from today? RORY MCILROY: Not too sure. I think the work I did on the range yesterday paid off a little bit. I think when you get off to a good start like that, you get a bit of momentum early and you keep going with it. Q. After what you've done today, you don't need a 62 tomorrow. How does that change things? RORY MCILROY: I've just got to go out‑‑ I went out there today with not many expectations, just want to go out and play well and try and improve on my ball‑striking, and that will be the goal again tomorrow, just try and hit some better shots than I did today. Q. So you don't really plateau, it's not like you have to make up that much ground? RORY MCILROY: No, not at all. It all depends on what the guys do out on the golf course, but hopefully I'll be within two or three of the lead, and two or three shots over 18 holes isn't that much, so hopefully I can give it a good go tomorrow. Q. And day by day you've been getting better. RORY MCILROY: Yeah, for sure. I felt Thursday wasn't great, Friday was a little better, and today I saw a little more positive signs out there. You know, it gives me a little bit of confidence going into tomorrow. Q. Great shooting today. What you told me yesterday, I've got to shoot a good number on Saturday to get in the hunt on Sunday. Great start that got you going. RORY MCILROY: Yeah, when you get off to a good start like that, you birdie the first three holes, it gives you momentum early, and it's something you can just go with. I think that was the key to the round today, to get off to that kind of start. Q. You plastered some tee shots. I think we had you at 363 on 16, about 344. Is that something you worked on on the range yesterday? RORY MCILROY: Yeah, definitely, just trying to turn behind it a little bit more, keep my height. When I do that, I usually connect with it pretty well. I hit a couple good ones out there, and it was nice to see. Q. Some thoughts on Sunday? RORY MCILROY: Just go out and try and do the same things, try and hit quality shots and give myself chances. I haven't really had any numbers in mind this week, it was all about just trying to get my game in good shape, and I feel like I've got a lot to build on for tomorrow. Q. Mom and dad showed up last night? RORY MCILROY: Yeah, they gave me a little bit of a surprise. I walked in for dinner, and they were sitting there. They flew in for the weekend, which is a nice surprise. Q. Mom and dad surprised you last night? RORY MCILROY: They did, yeah. They flew in yesterday afternoon, and nice to spend my birthday with them, and had a nice dinner last night, and now they're going to hang around for the weekend. It's nice to have them here. Q. Low key dinner pretty much? RORY MCILROY: Yeah, low key dinner. Q. Go to bed early? RORY MCILROY: Well, early enough, but I got enough sleep. Q. When you got off to the start you did today, birdieing four of the first five holes, does it start running through your mind, how good can this get? RORY MCILROY: Not really. I knew it was important to get off to a fast start today, just trying to put myself with the leaders early on, and I was able to do that. And when you get momentum early, you can sort of keep going with it. That was probably the key to the round today. Q. You have to feel really good about your chances tomorrow. You've won here before. RORY MCILROY: Yeah, of course. You know, I'll draw on those good memories and those positive thoughts from a couple years ago. I've had some great experiences on this golf course, and hopefully I can create a few more tomorrow. Q. Your driving was really good today. RORY MCILROY:  Yeah, it was better. I worked on it on the range last night, and yeah, it's getting there. I still hit a couple‑‑ when I really needed to hit a good one on 18, I bailed out of it a little bit. But everything was good. I hit some really good drives out there, and that set me up with some good looks at pins and birdie chances. Q. Was the ball rolling well or was it ball‑striking? What was it today? RORY MCILROY: Everything at the start. I was hitting the fairways. I was putting it on the right place on the green and I was holing a few putts. I think just overall the consistency of the ball‑striking has improved every day, so that was the key to this course today. Q. Do you think your name on the first page of the leaderboard makes other players shake in their boots a little bit? RORY MCILROY: I hope so. I'm not so sure. The guys that are at the top of the leaderboard are really accomplished players, and I'm just one of a bunch of guys that can go out and win there tomorrow. But maybe. Maybe if they see my name on the leaderboard, they might start to think about it a little bit more. Q. (Inaudible.) RORY MCILROY: I think so. I think there's a few players in the past that have been able to do it. Tiger is obviously one of them, Phil is another. I'm not sure. Ernie in his prime. I don't think I'm quite at that stature yet, but hopefully one day I can get there. Q. Are you surprised the lead hasn't gotten out further compared to where it started the day? RORY MCILROY: No. Typically the golf course gets harder as the week goes on, and the greens are going to get firmer and conditions are a little tricky and the pin positions are going to get tougher, and the scoring isn't quite as good. I thought coming into today that really 15, 16 would have a good chance by the end of the week, and I don't think that'll be too far away. Q. Are you in another gear now lifting weights? Those drivers you hit on 15 and 16 were like 344 and 377. RORY MCILROY: They were downwind (laughing).  Yeah, I think definitely going to the gym has given me‑‑ I don't think I hit it any longer, I just don't need to try and hit it. So when I hit it, it just goes‑‑ I don't have to go after it quite as much. Q. On 18 did you sign a golf club or something for a fan? RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I hit him in‑‑ Q. In the wallet? RORY MCILROY: Yeah, in the butt. Looking for the right word there. Yeah, so I did sign a golf club and said sorry and signed it. He helped me out a little bit there. That ball was going into the trees and would have been a lot more difficult. It was nice to get a lucky break like that. Q. What's the longest drive you've hit in competition? RORY MCILROY: I hit one when I was at 15 at the Island Golf Club 405 or something. Q. Where was that? RORY MCILROY: The Island Golf Club near Dublin. Q. Downwind, on the cart path? RORY MCILROY: No, downwind links, just kept going. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|