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OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSICJanuary 29, 2014Rory McIlroyDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES MICHAEL GIBBONS: Rory, thanks for joining us. Nice to see you early for a change. RORY McILROY: Thanks for accommodating. MICHAEL GIBBONS: We touched on this yesterday, but maybe a talk a little bit first about what this tournament means to you and the 25th anniversary and such. RORY McILROY: Yeah, Dubai Desert Classic has always been a tournament that I've liked to come and play. I played twice as an amateur here in '06 and '07, so the tournament were very good to me giving me those invites, and it was sort of, I guess, fitting in a way that I won my first tournament here as a pro in '09. So obviously whenever you come back to a place where you've got a win like that, you're going to have special memories and fond memories. You know, it's nice to come back. I sort of missed it last year. I think I've alluded to that a few times. But yeah, it's great to be back, and the course is in great shape, as it always is. It's shaping up to be a great week, 25th anniversary, getting all the past champions, bar Seve, obviously, yesterday. A good way to kick off the week, and obviously a strong field, as well. MICHAEL GIBBONS: You seem to be in pretty formidable form. Do you fancy your chances? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm playing well. I played well in Abu Dhabi, feel like my game has came on a little bit since then, as well, with the wedge play and stuff. So yeah, I feel good driving the ball well, which is a big key for me, so hopefully I can keep that up. But looking forward to it. It would be‑‑ it's always good to get a win early on in the season, and it would be nice to be up there at least and challenging for the trophy on Sunday. Q. Other than the hair, what's changed the most for you from five years ago? RORY McILROY: My physique, as well, I guess, a little bit. I'm more experienced. I'm more sure of myself, more confident. I feel like I belong. Not that I didn't then, but I think getting that first win was‑‑ yeah, exactly. Obviously a lot of things have changed in five years, but as a person, I feel like I'm sort of similar. Obviously a few things sort of change you when you go up a few levels or whatever, but in essence still the same person that was sitting here on that Sunday night with the big coffee pot next to me. Q. You spoke of the importance of the win in Sydney for you at the time. How important was it for you to come out and play well in Abu Dhabi and continue the form and carry the momentum into the new year and get off to a good start in 2014? RORY McILROY: It was really important. I felt like I had been playing well up until that point. I was showing some good form, played well in China, played well in Korea, played well in Dubai, but just didn't quite get the win. I didn't think a win was necessary because I felt like my game was coming back into the shape that I wanted it to, but getting the win down there was very nice, very satisfying. Great to end the year with a win, even though it mightn't have been on any of the major tours. It was still a good win down there against‑‑ battling Scottie for the weekend, I guess. I was proud of that. It was good to get the win and build some momentum into that year and feel like I've carried it through. I had a great off‑season, practised, played a lot, sort of didn't really take too much time off. It feels good. Yeah, I mean, for the last few months of '13, it was all about just trying to build some momentum going into this year, and I feel like I've done that. Q. You talk about that momentum. At what point last year did you feel like you were starting to get that momentum? RORY McILROY: I took four weeks off after the Playoffs, FedExCup Playoffs. It should have only been three, but I missed the TOUR Championship. But I was four weeks off, and in that time I did a lot of good work with Michael Bannon, my coach, and sort of found a couple of little keys and went with it to Asia. Played well there, played the Korean Open, finished second, and put a new driver and a new ball in the bag that week. Then went to China the week after, played okay, sort of like 25th, and then after that I played well. I played the exhibition with Tiger, felt like I hit it really well there; finished sixth, I think, in Shanghai at the World Golf Championships; fifth here in Dubai; and then went down to Australia. So it was really during that sort of October‑November period where I felt like everything was gradually falling back into place. And getting that win, as I said, was very important, and carrying that momentum on through into this year. I had a great two weeks here at the start of the year, practised really well, and that gave me the confidence knowing that I could stand up in my first tournament of the season and contend right away. Q. Will you change your schedule at all this year as opposed to what you played last year? RORY McILROY: Not really. I mean, it's sort of‑‑ it's similar. I've got Match Play, Honda, Doral, which are going to be a couple of weeks off after this, and then I'm not sure‑‑ leading up to the Masters I'll definitely play Houston. Whether there's one more in there, I'm not too sure yet. And then it's basically a similar schedule the whole way through until after the FedEx Playoffs, Ryder Cup, and then we've got all the Asian stuff to play, as well. So it's a very similar schedule to what I've played in previous years. Q. (No microphone.) RORY McILROY: Yeah, I never got to that point where I thought there was no way out, there was no‑‑ how am I ever going to play well again. There was none of that. But around The Open time, Muirfield, I was just‑‑ wasn't playing well, missed the cut, just wasn't feeling very good about my game at all. After that I played a little better, top‑tenned in the PGA at Oak Hill, and just‑‑ I guess from then, just sort of started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But yeah, I mean, I guess the thing that I learned was just not to panic, like not to panic, not to look for different things, I should do this, I should do that. You've got to remind yourself of what got you here in the first place. You might start looking to, oh, maybe I should try this or maybe I should go and talk to this guy or that guy. That's not the way to approach it at all. You just need to work your way out of it, and sometimes it takes longer than other times. This particular period took me a while to get out of, but just trusted the people that I had around me, and we knew what to do to put it right. Q. Given that you're driving the ball so well and the fact that there's a little extra motivation of about $2.5 million for a hole‑in‑one on the 17th, what's your game plan for the week for the 17th hole? And number two, which actually is your favourite hole and why on this golf course? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, if I've got the right wind on the 17th in previous years, especially off the back tee, I'll go for it. I think for Saturday and Sunday, they're going to move the tee up a little bit on the 17th. No matter what way the wind is, it shouldn't be a problem to get there. Yeah, there's not many chances you have to win $2.5 million in one shot, so I'll give it a go. So yeah, and favourite hole out here, I'm not sure. I think the strongest hole out here is probably the 12th hole. 12th hole is a really good hole, and it's sort of the last really tough hole you have until you get that stretch of sort of 13, 14. Okay, 15 is a tough par‑3, but you've got a few birdie chances coming in.  That's really the last tough hole you have before you can make a run at it on the way home. Q. You wouldn't have a go at it if you're three clear on a Sunday, would you? RORY McILROY: I mean, if you're confident enough with your driver, yeah, why not. It mightn't even be a driver, that's the thing. If they move the tee up, it's only going to play 295 or 300. It's a 3‑wood. Yeah, why not? Q. The danger is those trees catch balls, as well, don't they? You've seen it a few times. When you were watching this last year, did you think regardless of golf, did you think I should be there emotionally, and should that figure more in the schedule in terms of the events that mean something to you? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I didn't watch it last year. I was in Courchevel last year so I didn't watch it. It's an event that I'd played every year since turning pro. It's an event I'd played every year since 2006. I guess to miss it last year was‑‑ I was just‑‑ I felt like working on the range, especially with the new clubs, was going to be better for me than actually playing tournaments, and it was probably the other way around, I needed to test the stuff out in competition, and I sort of learnt that pretty quickly into the season. But we all make little mistakes, whether it's with schedule or whatever. I'm just glad to be back. Q. This time last year there was a lot of talk about the hope of duels down the stretch in important events between you and Tiger. Obviously that didn't happen for various reasons. What do you think the chance is this season, and would such a duel represent sort of an ultimate test? RORY McILROY: Yeah, it would be great if it happened. A lot of things have to fall into place for us to play well at the same week and the same venue. Even, I think, I saw an interview with Phil or Tiger, obviously they've had a big rivalry the past sort of 10 or 15 years, but actually the amount of time that they've battled each other down the stretch hasn't been that much, actually only a handful of times. You know, a lot of things need to sort of fall into place for that to happen, but of course I'd love it to happen. Battling for a tournament with anyone, you know, it was a great thrill down in Australia doing it with Adam Scott at the end of last year, and I'd just love to get myself into those sort of positions to fight it out for titles, whether it's with Tiger or anyone else, it's something that you'd really look forward to. The ultimate test, of course it would, yeah, going down the stretch with arguably the best player the game has ever seen, of course it would be the ultimate test. Q. I know you spent a lot of time here over the new year and you've played a few practice rounds here and the event yesterday. I just want to your general thoughts on the course and the changes from last year and how you feel it is now, especially after yesterday, as well. RORY McILROY: Yeah, the golf course has always been‑‑ it's a great layout; not much has changed in that way over the past few years. They've added a couple of new tee boxes, make a couple of holes a little longer. But it's in magnificent condition. The greens are as firm and as fast as I've ever seen them, which is going to be great for the week. It's going to be a good test. And I actually like what they've done around the greens, as well; instead of having that heavy rough quite close to the bunkers it's actually all mown areas and sort of little run‑offs. So it's good. It's in really good condition, and I think they've set it up really well this year, and it should be a good test. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Rory, thanks very much for joining us. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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