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March 9, 2013
MIAMI, FLORIDA
Q. Not the way you want to ever end a round but saw some nice things on the back nine there?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, a lot of positives on the back nine. I've started hitting the ball a lot better this week. It's really good in spells and not so good in others. I'm getting there. I'm getting there. It's good to see some good shots out there, and to make a few birdies on the back nine was nice.
Q. I saw a lot more smiling on the back nine as well?
RORY McILROY: When you make birdies, it's a bit easier, when you're playing golf like that, you're a bit happier.
Look, I know that I'm moving forward in my game and I'm going in the right direction, so you know, another productive day tomorrow and it will give me something to work on and work towards for the next few weeks.
Q. Even Ernie was complimenting you on the tee shots there.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm driving the ball much better. I've done a lot of good work and I'm feeling a lot more comfortable out there. There's still a few bad shots here and there, but I saw some good things.
Doesn't really matter about the scores, but I was just pleased about the shots I was hitting more than anything else.
Q. You had a couple chips on the front side that didn't help you any, do you feel like that's been a part of the game?
RORY McILROY: Just sort of neglected the wedge play and chipping, just because I've been working so hard on my swing. But I feel like that's getting better now and I can devote a little bit more time to the wedge play and get that sharp, as well.
Q. Last two days, what does that sort of do for your confidence, and is it fair to say that it was pretty low at one point this year?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, it was, it was probably the lowest it's ever been. But you know, seeing‑‑ I guess putting in the hard work and knowing what I'm doing is the right thing, and know that I'm going in the right direction, it gives me confidence going into the next few weeks.
Q. How about from a week ago to now, how much better do you feel about everything?
RORY McILROY: A lot better. I mean, this time last week, I was standing on the range at The Bear's Club grinding my ass off trying to find a swing that worked. But yeah, to practice it and put it into play this week, and actually see some good results; I'm definitely in a better place.
Q. Yesterday you said something interesting about Tiger's game, about how it didn't really look like he was shooting what he was shooting the first day. I just wonder, is there anything to learn from that?
RORY McILROY: You know, he's just such a solid player. He's so solid. He does everything well.
I guess, you know, you have some guys that different parts of their game stand out, but everything is just sort of at such a high level, so you can't say that anything stands out. Everything is just very, very strong.
Q. Thought any more about adding another event?
RORY McILROY: No, I'm not. I've thought about it, and no.
Q. Did Michael leave?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, he did.
Q. So when will you see him again?
RORY McILROY: I'll see him a few days before Houston. He'll come in like the weekend before Houston.
Q. What will be the plan next week now for you?
RORY McILROY: I think as Karen said there, more wedge play and chipping, and now that I feel like I'm on the right track with my swing, I can sort of devote a bit more time to some other parts of my game that I need to get sharp for Augusta.
Q. Is there a shot or a hole today where things sort of clicked? You had a couple bumps early.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I actually hit some really good shots the first few holes. Just a couple of bad distances. I misjudged the wind on the second and then on the third again, both with a wedge. Apart from that, I made birdie on 6, hit a good drive up 7, and just started to play some solid golf after that.
Q. Was the tee shot on 4 a consequence of the wedge shot‑‑
RORY McILROY: Not really. I was aiming left side of the green trying to sort of cut a 6‑iron and just sort of came out of it a little bit.
Q. Must be encouraging overall.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, even the bad shots are coming out of the middle of the clubface, which is a good thing, so I guess there's positives in everything in a way. It's a lot better, and you know, it's just a matter of putting the practice in and doing the reps.
You know, I'm excited about my game, coming into this week, I was a bit down about it. But after these few days and seeing some shots that I've hit on the course, I'm a lot happier going forward.
Q. How does Michael handle something like this, is it tough love or is it keep it simple or encourage?
RORY McILROY: It's encourage, I think when I'm on the range and I'm hitting bad shots and I'm my own worst critic, you know, just saying it's not that bad. Maybe it will take time, it will take time, be patient. But yeah, keep it simple and just keep the same swing thought.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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