US Open Championship 2017
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Rory McIlroy
Press Conference
BETH MAJOR: Good afternoon. Welcome again to the 2017
U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin. It's my pleasure to introduce 2011
U.S. Open champion, Rory McIlroy, who is World No. 2 playing in his ninth U.S.
Open this week.
Rory, I know you've spent a good deal of time here
preparing, can you give us your impressions of Erin Hills and talk about your
preparations?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, excited to be here. I got in Friday
afternoon, walked a few holes on Friday, Friday evening. And then got two
really good looks at it on Saturday and Sunday. One of the course architects,
Dana Fry walked around the course with us, as well, which I thought was really
beneficial. From what I've seen so far, it's really good. It let's players be
aggressive, I feel like. You can be aggressive off the tee. You can be
aggressive with your approach shots. If you do miss a green, it's not that
you're going to be chipping out of the thick rough. It goes in these collection
areas and runoffs. It's a little bit of a different challenge than what we
faced in U.S. Opens in the past.
But it's really good. I'm excited for
it and I think it's going to be a huge success.
BETH MAJOR: And how are
you feeling coming into this week?
RORY McILROY: I'm feeling better.
Obviously I've had a few weeks off to try and rest this injury that I've had all
year, but I feel good. I've played, over the past ten days, I've played eight
or nine rounds of golf. And I feel really good, as long as I manage the load
that I put through in terms of practice and hitting a lot of balls. But I'm
totally fine to play. I don't feel it at all. It's just a matter of managing
that sort of practice load, which isn't a bad thing. It means I can go out and
play. I've added a few events to my schedule, so looking forward to a busy
summer.
Q. Can you just expand on sort of the limitations you
have right now, both in your swing and in your preparation?
RORY McILROY:
No limitations on my swing whatsoever. Preparation-wise, I may be -- instead of
hitting five bags of balls, I'll hit two, just something like that. It's not as
if I can't hit balls, it's just a matter of managing how many repetitions I put
through it. I mean not really many limitations.
It's at the point in the
year, as well, you don't need to be practicing that much. You want to go out
and play. I feel like -- you figure stuff out on the golf course more than on
the range sometimes, anyway, and it's let me concentrate a bit more on my short
game.
I don't feel like -- obviously I haven't had many tournament rounds
under my belt. But at the same time I'm coming in fresh to this part of the
season. And as I said, added a couple of events to the schedule and want to
play a lot over the summer and try to make up some ground on the rest of the
guys.
Q. You've mentioned being able to hit a lot of drivers
here, being able to be aggressive at this golf course, is it your sense that
when you can do that at a tournament that it kind of seeps into your whole game,
that it just gives you a different kind of mojo to be able to attack and hit
more drivers?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I don't think it's a secret that I feel
like my driver is one of my biggest weapons in my bag. If I can get that in my
hands more regularly, and I think if the field has to hit driver more, as well,
that plays into my hands, too. I wasn't crying when I saw that rain last night
and this morning. It's a long golf course and it's only going to play longer.
That benefits a few guys, and luckily I'm one of them.
You go like at
Chambers, we hit a lot of drivers, but it was obviously very dry there. Last
year at Oakmont was a little bit of a different story, it's more of a tactical
sort of golf course, even though it was wet and played quite long, too.
But I think driving the golf ball is a big skill in golf, and I feel like this
golf course definitely tests that. And you need to have driver in your hand
here if you want to take advantage of the golf course.
Q. Two
quick ones, thoughts on the fescue that's going on out there?
RORY
McILROY: What do you mean?
Q. They seem to be cutting down a
lot of the fescue?
RORY McILROY: Really? We have 60 yards from left line
to right line. You've got 156 of the best players in the world here, if we
can't hit it within that avenue, you might as well pack your bags and go home.
These are the widest fairways we've ever played in a U.S. Open. Even the first
and second cut is another ten yards on top of that. So if you've got 50 or 60
yards to hit into and you're complaining about the fescue that's wider than
that, I don't think that's an issue.
I get that it's thick and whatever,
but it's a hazard. If you put red lines just right along that people wouldn't
complain, it's a hazard, and you'd go -- and so, I don't know, I just -- it's a
U.S. Open, it's supposed to be a tough test. And if guys can't put it into play
within a 50-yard zone I don't think they've got much to complain
about.
Q. Secondly, you've had a couple of times in your career
where you've come off these sort of long layoffs, injuries, what have you,
what's the difficulty or toughest part for you in doing that, particularly
coming into a major?
RORY McILROY: I think it's -- it's just more having
rounds under your belt. You encounter certain situations in tournaments that
you don't really encounter when you're practicing or preparing for one. It's
just a matter of doing that. I played one ball out here on Sunday, just to try
to simulate what a real round of golf around here would be like, and I'm going
to do the same tomorrow. I'm going to play the back nine, play one ball,
obviously chip and putt and sort of get my bearings on the green. But that's
really it.
It's just a matter of scoring and being sharp and taking
advantage of opportunities and getting it up and down when you need to, and all
that stuff just comes with playing competitive rounds. And I haven't had that
many of those this year. I sort of need those, that's why I'm going to have a
busy summer. But hopefully it doesn't take me too long to get into that mode
again and I can get off to a fast start here.
Q. I was
wondering how you design your workouts around a four-day tournament?
RORY
McILROY: Not much working out going on at the minute, unfortunately. I'm sort
of resting. There's been a lot of sort of rehab stuff, resistance bands. But
usually I don't really adapt it that much around a tournament or an off week. I
just sort of stick to my schedule, whether that's two days on, one day off.
I'll always make time. I feel like I've worked out enough that my body has
adapted to the feeling of maybe a little bit of soreness or tightness. And I
actually like that feeling in my body. I feel like it gives me that sort of
stability. I feel like I swing my best, actually, when I've got a little bit of
tightness in my body.
I don't really adapt it too much. I might just go
a little bit lighter on the load. But try to just keep a pretty -- sort of try
to keep the continuity in it, I guess.
Q. Just from what you
were saying earlier, half a dozen tournaments this year, it's been impossible
for you to build up any real momentum. Do you feel you're playing catch up to
guys like Dustin and people like that who have got the winning feeling
already?
RORY McILROY: A little bit. You look at DJ and at the lead he
has in the World Rankings, he's far ahead of the rest of us right now. And,
yeah, I wanted to play a pretty heavy schedule leading up to the Masters and I
wasn't allowed to do that. And then I wanted to play a lot this year and it
just hasn't panned out that way. But I'm going to, as I said, play quite a lot
this summer.
I don't feel like I'm playing catch up, so to say, but I
miss playing golf. When you're away from it you realize how much you miss it,
how much you love it and how lucky you are being able to play this game for a
living and I just want to get back to that.
Q. Two questions
that may or may not be related. I understand you have a knew putter in the bag
this week, can you talk about that. Your record since winning this in 2011 and
obviously what you like in this tournament, any reason you can pinpoint why
that's the case?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, the new putter I've been working
with it for a while. I've sort of been messing around with it since after
Augusta, really. And I went over to Southport to the Phil Kenyon studio, and we
just tested a lot of putters, and that was really the one that came out better
than the rest in terms of launch conditions and how fast it got the ball
rolling, side spin, even face rotation, as well, I felt like I could bring it
back to square more often than anything else I had tested. And I've had a few
weeks to chip and putt around and get comfortable with it. It's a bit of a
different feel than what I had been playing previously. But from what I've seen
in practice so far it feels good.
And, yeah, look, I've had a mixed bag
here at the U.S. Open. The wet ones I've done all right at, the firm ones I
haven't. Top-10 at Bethpage starting off. Pebble was tough, shot a couple of
high scores there. One at Congressional. And then -- yeah, it's a weird one.
I've struggled on the West Coast a little bit. I missed the cut at Olympic, and
Merion I did okay. My driver face cracked at Merion on the third hole on the
third round, so that didn't help.
Yeah, I don't know. This is one of
those tournaments that if you let it get into your head I feel like you're
already defeated before your tee off. And there have been a couple of times
where I have let it get in my head. 15 at Chambers, even though I made a bit of
a round of it, I was a little bit disillusioned along with some other guys with
the way the course was and everything. But if you let it get into your head you
really have no chance.
And that's why I feel like some of the players
this week, the rough's already got into their head. That's not the way you want
to start off. You want to start off with positivity and a positive frame of
mind, and that's the way I'm trying to approach it this week.
Q.
Your second straight major in Wisconsin coming off of injury. And I
realize the circumstances were different, the time off was different. When you
look back, what were your expectations at Whistling Straits? What are they now?
Are they lower than they would be if this were any other Open?
RORY
McILROY: No, I mean my expectations going into Whistling, I was playing well. I
didn't feel like my body was restricting me in any way from doing what I wanted
to do. So going to Whistling a couple of years ago after the injury I felt like
I had a good chance to win. The previous starts I had I was playing well. I
won a couple of times in May, had a decent showing at the U.S. Open. And then
obviously missed that little length of time. But I felt like coming back into
it I was playing well enough to win.
And I feel like it's the same thing
here. I don't feel like my body is limiting me from doing what I want to do out
there. It's just a matter of being able to do it. And I fully -- if I play the
way that I know I can I fully expect to have a chance on Sunday.
Q.
With Bethpage and chambers and Torrey in the past, and Erin Hills this
week and then you guys going to LA Country Club here in a few years, the USGA is
fitting a lot of different venues in the rotation, do you like that trend? How
many is too many in your mind is too many?
RORY McILROY: I think it's
always new and exciting to get to new venues. I'm a little bit of a
traditionalist, I like the smaller rota of courses, a little bit like what they
do at the Open. But it is -- it is good to bring -- to have the ability to
bring it to different parts of the country. That's a big thing. But, yeah, I
mean I'm looking forward to playing Shinnecock next year, Winged Foot, all the
traditional courses that I grew up watching the U.S. Open on. But at the same
time it's the same for everyone and you show up to the golf course that you're
playing that week and you prepare as well as you can for it and you try to play
better than everyone else. Yeah, I mean I know what they're trying to do and I
know that it's beneficial for the game to bring this tournament to different
parts of the country. So it's -- I sort of put a foot in both camps there. I
like the tradition of the old courses, but I still like what they're doing with
trying to bring it to different spots in the country.
Q. Take
yourself back to your first major triumph and relate it to if you can to Sergio
Garcia and his experience at Augusta National. In general terms, when you see a
fellow professional winning an emotional first major like that, what's it
like?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it's -- for me it was different because Sergio
and I have such a great relationship and we've become very close friends over
the years. So that was a different one for me. If it had been another first
timer that had just won, without taking anything away from DJ or Jason Day, but
I didn't feel the same when they won their first as Sergio did, just with all
he's been through and everything.
Just the emotion, 72 or 73 tries,
without being able to do it, having all those chances and for it to be there, to
be the Augusta where he's had his struggles before, I don't think you could have
written it any better. It was great to be able to watch. It was cool to see
him. He came to my wedding a couple of weeks after and I hadn't seen him since,
and it was awesome. He was nice enough not to wear the Green Jacket, just so I
could steal the limelight for a day.
It was awesome. I'm so happy for
him. And he's in a great place right now in his life. When he is he seems to
be playing very well. I look for him to do well again this week.
Q.
It seems like the last few majors the weekends have been a little bit
unfriendly to you, is it focus for you to not have to dig out of a little bit of
a hole to put yourself in more of a chance to attack on the weekend than trying
to dig yourself out of a hole?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, definitely. If you
look at how I've started the majors that I've won, I've sort of led from the
front. I shot 65 or 66 at Congressional. I shot 67 at Kiawah. I shot 66 at
Hoylake and shot 66 again I think at Valhalla. So it is imperative for me to
get off to a good start, I feel like, and I haven't been able to do that. I
don't know if that's putting a little too much pressure object myself and I
don't know if that's -- that's something -- I've had a lot of time to think over
the last few weeks and sort of figure out what I need to do to get back to
winning majors and being in contention. Because there was a period there, in
sort of '10 and '11, and obviously '14, as well, but '10 and '11 where I would
start majors very well, and it's just a matter of figuring out why that
was.
I think it's a lot to do with preparation. I feel like if you
prepare 100 percent the right way, mentally that puts you in a great frame of
mind to go out there and attack the golf course. So that's what I've tried to
do this week, and hopefully it pays off.
Q. (No
microphone.)
RORY McILROY: No, I think -- no, if anything, it's more just
putting too much pressure on myself and the expectation there where -- in
Congressional in '11, I maybe just wasn't putting the pressure on myself as
much. The expectations were still high, but I still went out there and sort
still sort of free wheeled where sometimes over the past couple of years the
first round of majors I've been a little bit tight and a little bit tentative
it. I need to get away from that because that's not how I play my best golf.
That's why I like this golf course, it allows you to be aggressive and swing
freely and get after it.
Q. With your busy lifestyle, do you
ever make time to play your Old Course from your childhood just for fun?
RORY McILROY: I don't know when the last time I played Holywood. One of my best
friends is the assistant pro there. I go up there a lot and catch up with him
and sort of have a coffee or whatever.
But, geez, it's got to be -- I'll
tell you the last day I played Holywood. It was the day before I busted my
ankle in 2015. So obviously it's not good luck. So there you have it. It was
a couple of years ago. But I probably don't get to play it as often as I
like.
Q. You mentioned you're added some events to your
schedule there. Can you confirm what they are, and is the Scottish Open in your
thoughts at all?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it is, yeah. I'm going to play
Scottish, so I'm going to play Irish, Scottish and The Open. Which is great,
great links round. And then contemplating a couple -- another one in the
summer. But we'll see how it goes guess. If I'm able to knock off a couple of
big ones, that schedule changes a little bit, but I'm definitely going to play
Scottish.
Q. Do you know much about Dundonald, the venue, and
secondly, I'm interested in how you spent the downtime you had over the last
month?
RORY McILROY: I don't know much about Dundonald. I know it's
close to Troon. That's really about it. I know I can drive there. Have to get
the boat from Larne to Troon will be fine.
How I've spent my time? The
first couple of weeks I had off I was sort of back to rehab and just trying to
rest it and make sure that it was healing properly. I went for scans and I went
to -- spent the day over in England with Phil Kenyon to test some putters and do
some work there. And then I spent two weeks in Portugal at the beginning of the
year.
It's nice to get back to warm weather where I can practice again
and play a few rounds and not have to rely on the very unreliable British
weather. And that's been it. Just trying to get back and trying to get ready
for this event. And I feel like I've been able to do that. And as I said, I'm
just excited to get on the run of events and just play some more.
Q.
You came off the rib injury and had a chance to win in Mexico, then you
were right in the mix at the Masters. Does that give you confidence coming into
this major, that a string of tournaments isn't really necessary for you coming
in?
RORY McILROY: Yes, I took a lot from that. I opened up with 65 or 66
in Mexico coming off the injury. So as I said, I think it's all in the
preparation. And if you prepare and you feel like your game's right where it
needs to be it allows you to play with that confidence and that little bit more
of freedom. And I feel like I've sort of reached that point again.
But
playing the first World Golf Championship in Mexico and the U.S. Open are
slightly -- two different things. So we'll see what happens. I don't feel like
I need a run of events to get back into it. I feel like I can pick up
confidence pretty quickly.
I think the only thing that was to my
detriment in Mexico was being in contention, I just felt a little -- I felt like
I hadn't been in contention in a while and I struggled to sort of play with that
freedom that I had over the first three days. So hopefully that won't be the
case this week, if I do get myself in contention, again.
Q.
When you talk about managing better your practice schedule. You just
mentioned your ankle injury. Are you concerned at all with picking up those
niggling injuries, and also going ahead in the next ten years?
RORY
McILROY: Yes and no. I mean the ankle injury was completely -- that was
completely my own fault. That wasn't really anything to do with golf. I
haven't stepped foot on a football pitch since. At least I know what this is
from, this rib thing. It's just a matter of me hitting a lot of balls and that
repetitive stress on it and that strain is just -- I can only take so much
before you hit a hundred drivers a day and you swing at ball at 120 miles an
hour, it's going to take its toll a little bit. So it's just a matter of
managing that. And it means I can concentrate on the other areas of the game.
I don't feel like I have to hit balls all day to be a great player. I feel like
I can go out and play and shoot scores and play with my friends and get
confidence that way. I'm not worried about picking up -- everyone is going to
go through these things. I feel with how the modern golf swing is and modern
technology and the travel, everyone is going to pick up these niggling injuries,
but I feel like I've went through enough of them to know what my body can and
can't handle. So it's just a matter of managing that, yeah.
Q.
More about the equipment that you'll be using this week. I understand
there's an iron prototype in your bag. Will you be using that? What will be
your most important weapon do you think to win this week?
RORY McILROY:
Yeah, I've had those. I played those prototype irons at The PLAYERS, my last
start. So they're still in the bag. Driver and putter are going to be the two
big weapons this week. If guys can drive it long and drive it straight that
sets up to -- you can be aggressive with your iron shots. So everything is
going to be important. I think it's a great golf course. It's a long enough
golf course where it's going to test every aspect and every club in your bag.
But I think with any U.S. Open if you can drive the ball well and you can hole a
few putts you're going to be okay.
Q. We've seen six straight
first time major winners. Why do you think we're seeing this trend in the game
right now?
RORY McILROY: Honestly I don't know. I don't know if it's
just -- it's their time or -- it's hard to say. I don't know, I think it goes
like that. I think there was cycles where back maybe ten years ago where you
were getting some first-time winners, as well in between all of Tiger's wins.
But honestly I don't know. I don't know if it comes from experience. Some guys
need a little bit more experience in the majors to break through, to get that
first one. I don't know. I just hope I end that streak this week.
Q.
Wisconsin is probably most well-known for beer, cheese and the Packers.
With a couple of majors here in the last couple of years, is it growing in your
mind in the golf world or what do you think of when you think of
Wisconsin?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think so. I think the more big
tournaments that come back here, obviously we've had three PGA's, I guess, in
the last few years. We're going to have the Ryder Cup here, I guess, in 2020.
U.S. Open, obviously, this year. I think the more big golf events that come
here the better for the state and the better for just the awareness of golf and
maybe getting people to try it out and to play. Obviously the golf season here
isn't quite as long as other parts of the country. You can only play for
probably four or five months. But, yeah, I mean, hopefully bringing tournaments
-- big tournaments and the best players in the world to this part of the country
can inspire kids to take up the game and try to emulate some of us. I think
it's great for it. I've enjoyed my time. I've had two good weeks at Whistling
Straits when I played here. I've been enjoying my time so far. Yeah, I think
it's a good thing.
Q. With the downtime, have you been able to
spend a little more time on some of your host duties with the Irish Open and how
has the Rolex Series helped elevate the status of the event?
RORY
McILROY: Yeah, I've spent a little bit more time on that. It was good to -- we
announced today that the manager of Manchester City and the co-manager of
Barcelona, Pep Guardiola, is going to come over and do the night with me on the
Tuesday night, so that will be really cool. Obviously there's a lot of interest
in soccer back home. And that's probably the best manager or one of the best
managers in the world.
It was nice I met up with him in Manchester. Sort
of a chance encounter. We had a little bit of lunch and I asked him if he would
come and do it and he said he would, yeah. Hideki is going to play, Jon Rahm,
Justin Rose and myself, pretty strong European field. But I think with the
Rolex Series and the European Tour and $7 million prize, that's elevated the
tournament from it's one-and-a-half million dollar prize a few years ago. I'm
glad I've been able to help some way to get it to that point. And hopefully it
continues to grow.
BETH MAJOR: Rory, thank you so much for joining us
today. Always a pleasure. We wish you well this week.
RORY McILROY:
Thank you.
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