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OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSICFebruary 1, 2014Rory McIlroyDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Q. What are those thoughts going through your mind? RORY McILROY: Today was another, I'm not going to say struggle because I felt like I played okay. Felt like I could hit a few more fairways and hole a few more putts, but two shots behind going into tomorrow, so I've been in similar positions before and came out on top. I just need to go out there and as I said, if I can hit a few more fairways and hole a few more putts, see where that puts me at the end of the day. Q. What are your thoughts on round three and how it's mapped out? RORY McILROY: Round three was okay. Got off to another shaky start with a bogey at the first but then steadied the ship with a nice birdie at 2 and a lovely eagle at 3 and the conditions were tricky out there. It was a little breezy. Some tougher pin positions and firmer greens. It was tough to get close to some of these pins. 69 wasn't a bad score. Definitely felt like I left a few out there and hopefully the putts will start dropping for me tomorrow and I'll shoot something a little lower. I feel like I'll need to go a bit lower to try to catch Steve. I'll probably go work a little bit on the range, just work on the sort of fundamentals and iron it out for tomorrow. Q. 17 was fun, some magical‑‑ RORY McILROY: Yeah, could have paid for a wedding. But yeah, it was good. You know, when it went off in the air, I knew it was going to be somewhere around the green and got up there, I saw the pitchmark and obviously just ran by the hole on the right. But it was nice to just get that ball up‑and‑down and make birdie. It's just a great shot to get it on that green and sort of try and get it in the hole, I don't‑‑ I'll go for it again tomorrow and see what happens. Q. When you've wrapped it all up and you look at the computers and you see what Stephen Gallacher has achieved on the back nine, what are your thoughts on that? RORY McILROY: That's phenomenal. I didn't know he was 10‑under for the last ten holes. That's some golf right there. Especially obviously you have the par 5s on the back nine, and 17, but you've got some tough holes; you've got 12, 14, 15, 16, some tough holes on that back nine. Stephen playing the way he did coming down the back nine is very, very impressive. Q. He's the man to catch but you're totally capable, aren't you? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I hope so. I feel like I can catch him up tomorrow. I don't really want to focus on what he's doing; try to focus on my own thing. If I can focus on just trying to hit fairways and feel like my iron play is good enough, so focus on fairways and maybe try and hole a few more putts, and see where that leaves me at the end of the day. Q. How is your stomach? RORY McILROY: It's better today, still not 100 percent but it's better than it was yesterday. Q. 3‑under 69 on Saturday, you'll trail Stephen Gallacher by two; do you walk off the golf course happy with your round or feel like you left a few out there? RORY McILROY: I mean, I feel like I left a few out there for sure but I'm happy with the position going into the final day. I'll be in the final group so I'll see what's happening. All in all, in a good position going into tomorrow. Q. What, if anything, do you want to fine tune between now and round four? RORY McILROY: I think I just need to hit a few more fairways. That's the key for me. I drove it beautifully in round one, not so much the last couple of days, so going to go maybe work on a couple of things on the range, try and iron it out, and if anything, I feel like I've been hitting good putts, but just haven't sort of dropped. Maybe they will start dropping for me tomorrow but first thing's first, go to the range and try and work on the driver a little bit. Q. It will be a fun final group, you and Stephen know what it takes to win here but you'll be chasing unlike the last two days. How does that change your strategy? RORY McILROY: It doesn't change the strategy much. You've just got to go out there and try to shoot a good score, whether you're two behind or two ahead. If you're two ahead, you want to just go out and keep your foot on the gas and just keep going and if you're two behind, you've got to do the same thing. You've got to make birdies and you've got to get off to a fast start and that's what I'll try and do tomorrow. Q. Before we talk about the round, let's get a health update. Yesterday you were suffering from a stomach complaint; feeling okay today? RORY McILROY: Feeling better, probably not 100% but I'm fine, a couple of stomach cramps out there but nothing too bad at all. Had a good dinner last night and was eating around the course today, so, no, everything's good. It's definitely not holding me back. Q. 69 today, how do you feel about that one? RORY McILROY: It was okay. I got off to a bit of a‑‑ I bogeyed the first again, but birdied 2 and eagled 3 which was great. And then I didn't drive the ball particularly well, probably going to go work on a few things on the range. And I feel like I hit a lot of good putts that just didn't go in. So I felt like I left a few out there, but it was a tricky day and shooting anything under 70 wasn't a bad score. I mean, obviously Stephen had a phenomenal round, 63 out there is a really impressive effort. Q. Did you believe what you were seeing on the scoreboard, 10‑under through ten holes? RORY McILROY: Wow, I didn't know that. That's good playing there. Especially with the wind, it was quite tricky and the greens were getting firmer, as well. Yeah, that's a great stretch of holes and hopefully he didn't continue it tomorrow. Q. You said you're going to go and work on your driving; do you know exactly what it is you need to work on? RORY McILROY: I think so, yeah, a little bit of alignment. I feel like my shoulders are probably getting a little bit open, so sort of coming into the ball, upper body is opening up a little bit and leaving a few out to the right. Work on the alignment a little bit, and just get a little bit of confidence, get a feeling with it and bring it to the course tomorrow. Q. One particularly good drive you did hit was 17, standing on that tee, 2.5 million dollars, seeing it go through the air, what's going through your mind? RORY McILROY: I was thinking it was good. You never really know; you can't really see the pin. I knew it was a good yardage for a sort of cut driver and obviously I got up there and saw the pitchmark and it must have just ran by the hole. But yeah, I mean, even just to hit that green there is a great golf shot. But it was nice to make a three there. Q. Thoughts on tomorrow, two shots behind defending champion who playing beautifully? RORY McILROY: Yeah, played with him the first two days and he played very well. Obviously was on fire today. I just need to go out there and try to hit a few more fairways, focus on a few things in my game and not really focus on what he's doing, focus on my game and try and, as I said, hit better drives and make a few putts and see where it puts me by the end of the day. This is my second week in a row I'm going into the last day with a chance to win, I'm in the final group; it's a great position to be in. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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