Any time there is a major in golf Rory McIlroy has to have his name thrown into the conversation! Recently he has suffered through some tough times but he showed he may be turning the corner with his win at Quail Hollow two weeks ago. A two-time winner of the PGA ā one of which came over the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island ā McIlroy looks to contend for another major title.
ACES editor Dennis Miller compiled the notes from the Tuesday virtual press conference.
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, and welcome back to the 2021 PGA Championship here at the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. We are pleased to be joined by two-time PGA champion Rory McIlroy. Welcome back for what is your 13th career PGA Championship. You’re back on familiar ground, some good memories I would imagine. Looking back at that win, at the moment the longest golf course in major championship history, only to be bested this year in one of the highest scoring averages on that Friday, was that about as good as you can play that week nine years ago?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it’s up there. It’s funny, I wasn’t playing very well coming into it. I think I missed like four of my last six cuts. Played okay in Akron the week before, finished like fifth. But sort of got here to this course and some weeks you just have a good feeling. Some weeks you just sort of go with it, and it was one of those weeks that it felt good. And yeah, I got off to a good start. I took advantage of the benign conditions on the first day, and probably the best round of the week for me was the Friday. I think the scoring average that day was 78. I think I shot 75, which I was delighted with. Then obviously played really well over the weekend. But yeah, it’s nine years ago. It seems longer. It seems like there’s been a lot of time that’s passed, and I feel like I’m a different person and a different player. You know, it’s a different time of year. Probably going to be a different wind than we played in the last time, so it’s going to play like a completely different golf course. I played great here last time, obviously, and won my first PGA and my second major, but just because I did that doesn’t mean that I’m going to find it any easier this week than anyone else. It’s a really tough test, especially when the wind is blowing like this. Those last few holes out there are brutal. It’s going to be a great test.
Question: But equally just reflecting on what happened last time here, how different a golfing challenge does it look? Obviously, different time of year, weather conditions, it was soft last time. How different is it this time?
RORY McILROY: It’s different. It’s a different time of year. I think one of the biggest differences that I’ve noticed is it’s not going to be as easy around the greens as it was last time. Last time in August it was hot, humid, the paspalum was like really strong and dense and lush, so the ball would just sit right up on top, and it was so easy to just get your lob wedge out, clip it, spin it. I felt like around the greens last time was a lot easier compared to — I feel this year they’re a little more bare, a touch links-y in places, especially with the wind and the dry weather. I don’t think it’s going to be quite as simple as it was around the greens like last time. And that’s the one thing I remember about being here the last time is that’s what I did so well, I chipped and putted so well that week, and that’s what won me the tournament. I scrambled well, and if the wind keeps up like this again this week, that’s what you’re going to have do well is chip and putt well. But I think you’re going to see guys playing a lot of different shots this week than maybe you saw back in 2012 around the greens.
Question: I know you won a Quail, even though you probably didn’t have your best driving week and missed a lot of fairways. Can you have that kind of game and success here on this course if you don’t hit it in the fairway?
RORY McILROY: If I don’t miss from inside six feet this week, I’ll do okay. So yeah. But I didn’t drive the ball particularly — I didn’t drive the ball badly at Quail. There was a lot of crosswinds and there’s a lot of doglegs, and the fairways play half of the width of what they actually are. There was a lot of tee shots that I hit good shots but they just missed the fairway or I hit — I hit three tee shots on 14, the drivable par-4, that go into a greenside trap and they’re missed fairways. You can’t really read too much into the stats. Yeah, I didn’t drive it my best, but I certainly didn’t drive it all over the lot. I actually hit it pretty well. Yeah, this is a golf course you need to put the ball in play. But you’ve got pretty wide fairways here. I think visually like all Pete Dye courses it’s pretty intimidating off the tee visually, but then when you get up there you realize you’ve got quite a bit of room. I’ve always — I remember back in ’12 I liked it because there’s a lot of targets on the horizon here that you can pick out and really focus in on your targets even if you’re maybe hitting into a big expansive fairway. You can pick out TV towers or houses in the distance or trees, and that makes it a little easier.
Question: I’m wondering as last week sort of settles in, are you surprised at all how quickly you’re making progress swing-wise? Does a week like that change your expectations of what’s reasonable to expect from yourself this weekend and the near future?
RORY McILROY: Yeah. I’ve always said when you’re in the thick of it, it always seems further away than it is. I guess the big thing that I was really encouraged with at Quail Hollow is it’s my first time really getting myself into contention in a while, and to have those thoughts and movements sort of hold up under that pressure, trying to win a golf tournament, coming down some really tough holes, that’s what I was really pleased with. The two shots on 16, the tee shot into 17, obviously the tee shot into the last wasn’t great, but I got away with it. But those three shots coming — to hit the shots exactly the way I wanted to and play those holes very well with a lead, that’s something that I haven’t been able to do probably over the last 18 months, going back to the start of 2020. I was very encouraged with that. So yeah, look, it’s something I’m just going to have to continue to work on. I want to get better. I want my game to get better. I want to become more consistent. I want to be in those positions more often than I have been, and that’ll just mean keeping the head down and putting in the work. I’ve been doing that for the last couple of months, and it was nice to see some results pretty early on. But I feel like there’s still a long way to go.
Question: Before your win at Quail Hollow, was there perhaps a bit of time where you might have lost belief in yourself? And if so, how did you get through it?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I don’t — yeah, not belief in myself and belief that I couldn’t do it again, but it’s more the — it’s the short — I think when you get into those scenarios it’s very easy to think of short-term, think of quick fixes, think of what can I do to try to get this better for next week, where you really have to try to take a step back and look at the big picture and think, okay, what do I need to do to be in the place I want to be in in six months’ time, and then that takes pressure off yourself. Like, okay, this is a gradual process and sort of take it step by step. I think when you’re in that place of searching, it’s all very short-term thinking instead of just thinking of the long-term a little bit, seeing the bigger picture, and that’s sort of really what I’ve tried to do. That’s why I keep saying that Quail was awesome, it was great to get a win, but I’m thinking way beyond that, and I think that’s why — it’s funny, when you sort of think that way, something like that just sort of happens to fall into your lap. It’s almost like the less you try, the more things sort of go your way.
Question: Following on from that, how would you characterize your feelings going into this week? You said in your opening remarks, some weeks you have a good feeling. Where would you be this week?
RORY McILROY: I’m happy with where my game is, so I guess if I go out and play my game and do what I know that I can do, then I can see myself shooting good scores on this golf course. So that’s sort of where I’m at. Whether that means I win or not, that’s partly up to me, but that’s partly on how the other 155 guys in the field play, as well. I’ve just got to go out there, play my game, and if I play my game somewhat close to the best of my ability, I’m sure I’ll have a good chance.
Question: You spoke about the crowds at Charlotte and I think you said that you needed this. There’s obviously big crowds here this week. You spoke about last year struggling with no one there. How would you articulate what it means to go from crowds watching you as an amateur golfer to nothing at all to the top of the game? How different and difficult was that?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it’s funny, ever since I was 16-years-old I’ve had thousands of people watch me play golf pretty much every time I teed it up. Even going back to amateur golf and — so then not having that, playing in that environment for 14, 15 years and then sort of going the complete opposite, it’s just different. Yeah, I said at the time it was like playing practice rounds. It’s easy to lose concentration. Everyone is used to a certain environment, whether you work or whatever you do, and it’s a bit — I watched the Champions League semifinals a couple weeks ago and those guys play in that for the first time in their careers and they’re playing in an empty stadium. I mean, that just must be terrible. That’s not at all how you dream of being in a squad like that and playing in a massive game. You want to play in front of people and you want to feel that atmosphere. It’s unfortunate that in these times a lot of people don’t have that experience, but I am glad that we’re getting back to some sort of normalcy, and when you hit good shots and hole putts there is claps and rewards and encouragement. I feel like that’s all a part of tournament golf and competitive sports at the highest level, and just happy that I’m starting to come back.