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THE HONDA CLASSICMarch 2, 2014Rory McIlroyPALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA RORY McILROY: I 3‑putted 13, and I started to hit some of those shots, obviously the second shot on 16 was what sort of killed me. I hit a 6‑iron wide and instead of starting it right at the target and letting it come back into the wind, I was underneath it and came in a little heavy. I did well and obviously it was good to make it to the playoff. I was fortunate that I was in the playoff, and I just had a bit of an awkward yardage for my second. I had about ten yards shorter in than I had in regulation, and just tried to hit a cut 5‑wood and it just came off a little too strong. But yeah,74 today wasn't good enough to get the job done. You know, even if I had of won, it would have felt a little bit undeserved in a way. So when you go out with a two‑shot lead, you have to play well and you have to go out and win the thing, and if you had of won today, I would have counted myself very lucky. Just got to pick myself up, get back at it and try and get myself back into contention at Doral next week and try and get the job done then. Q. How difficult is this to take? RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, look, I counted myself very fortunate even to be in the playoff. I didn't play well enough at all down the stretch to win this tournament. Yeah, I mean, I felt like I was sort of in control. I started to try and play‑‑ there was a lot of holes out there where I was just trying to play these little hold‑up shots and I was just losing them left. Body was stopping and club was getting past my body. And you know, ironic the cut shot that I needed, I hit at the last and obviously had a putt to win the tournament and didn't quite make it. So yeah, I mean, it was‑‑ I didn't play well enough to deserve to win today. So I just need to pick myself up and get back at it, go down to Doral and try and put myself in position to win again and see if I can do a better job. Q. Just talk about how disappointing this is for you right now. RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's very disappointing. Look, it was a perfect opportunity to win. No one was really coming at me. 8‑under got in the playoff, so I'm just thinking, play those last few holes just solid, and 16 was what really cost me. I was trying to hit a 6‑iron right of the target, I let the wind bring it back and I just got a little underneath it and caught it a little heavy. In hindsight, I probably should have hit 5‑iron and tried to hold it up because I could have got more on top of it and would have taken that fat shot out of it. I had my chances. Even had my chance at the last and just wasn't to be. Tough to take at the minute but I'll sleep it off tonight and get back at it. Tomorrow is a new week and try to get myself back into contention next week at Doral and see if I can do a better job. Q. Can you talk about the sandshot and the playoff hole and then the chip which you were trying to do in both cases? RORY McILROY: I didn't have a great lie with the bunker shot. So it was impossible to get any spin on it, so I was just trying to land it as close as I could to the fringe and let it trundle down, but then even there wasn't much spin on it to sort of stop it. It was just downhill, downgrain. Played it the best way I could, but the lie was sort of against me on the slope and the second pitch shot, just a little bit of‑‑ it was very lush sort of grass there, a little bit of grass got in between the clubface and the ball and it came out very dead. Q. You've been comfortable all week. Was there anything that happened or any part of the day today where you got out of that comfort zone? RORY McILROY: Not really. I mean, I felt like I still drove the ball pretty well. I hit quite a lot of fairways. You know, if there was one thing, I didn't hit the ball close enough to the pin when I had my opportunities. But yeah, as I said at the start there, I was trying to hit a lot of sort of hold‑up shots a little bit left‑to‑right, and they were just‑‑ there's a lot of holes coming in that were left‑to‑right wind and I was just trying to hold them up and they got a little bit left on me. It's a tough course, especially when you're in the thick of things, and you know, it's hard to make birdies coming down the stretch there. Obviously for me, pars would have been good enough. Q. Talking about protecting‑‑ RORY McILROY: I thought I played pretty aggressively off the tee. I felt back nine, middle of the greens were going to be good shots, and that's what I did for the most part. I got myself out of position on 13 and 14, hit it to the middle of the green both times and made bogey, 3‑putted on‑‑ sorry, 12. But yeah, I felt like I played okay. Coming down the stretch, I went for it on 14. 15, 16, 17 didn't play so well, and obviously I only had one option at the last which was to try to go straight at the pin and I was able to do that. Yeah, I just didn't hit the ball close enough today or give myself many opportunities to really distance myself from the pack. Look, it's a good finish, second runner‑up in the season, stringing a lot of Top 10s and stuff. So there's a few positives to take, but obviously it's going to be hard to get over because I had a great chance to win my first tournament of the season and I didn't.       But you know, as I said, pick myself back up, try to get back into the thick of things at Doral next week and do a better job. Q. Chance to get back in the winner's circle, a roller coaster day, but then a chance on 18, how would you describe what happened? RORY McILROY: I counted myself very fortunate just to be in the playoff. I didn't play well enough at all to deserve to win this tournament. Just didn't‑‑ just was a little bit‑‑ wasn't in control of my golf ball coming down the stretch. But you know, still had a chance‑‑ I had a putt to win the tournament on 18 and didn't quite do it. Just had an awkward distance for my second in the playoff, and then a couple awkward lies and couldn't make birdie. But look, it's been a decent week. Get myself into contention again, it's my third stroke‑play event of the year and third time I've been in contention with a chance to win. I haven't been able to sort of walk through that door but I feel like the more times I knock on that door, I'll eventually step through it. This week wasn't to be but hopefully I can get myself back in a similar position and try to do a better job. Q. What's the hardest part in trying to keep it together at least to give you that chance like you had in regulation? RORY McILROY: Just to be mentally strong and even when I hit it in the water on 16, I knew I still had a chance to win the tournament. So that's all I was‑‑ I knew the guys weren't really making birdies in front, and I just was trying to hang in there. It was disappointing to bogey 17, as well. I had a putt to win the tournament, didn't take it, and then in the playoff, just got a couple of‑‑ an awkward yardage and not a good lie in the bunker. But you know, as a whole, I didn't‑‑ I didn't play well enough to win today, and that was the short story of it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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