Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Thursday, September 26, 2019 – Rory McIlroy Quick Quotes
Q. 2-under par this morning in quite benign conditions, are you happy with that?
RORY McILROY: Not particularly. I sort of — I felt like I played okay. I could have made a few more birdies, and then I made seven on the 6th hole, which was not ideal. I hit a tee shot just a little bit left and wind out of bounds. It was nice to birdie the last, and my dad bettered me by five shots. It actually turned out to be a decent day.
Q. Runner-up here obviously in The Open. How does the course compare with the conditions today?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it’s so different. I mean, even teeing off the 10th hole this morning, at The Open we’re worried about driver going into the burn, and today, you’re trying to hit driver as far up as possible so you can get an 8- or a 9-iron in your hand.
It’s played different. I think Carnoustie over the years has gotten a little easier. They have taken a lot of the gorse bushes out where you really had to think about some tee shots, even when I first started to play here. And now, with trying to accommodate a lot of spectators or The Open Championship, they have taken a lot of the gorse out, which makes a lot of the tee shots easier, and I think that’s probably why you’re seeing a few lower scores around Carnoustie than you’re used to seeing.
Q. Must be great playing with your dad, Gerry?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it’s a brilliant week. As all dads do sometimes, he can start to get on my nerves a bit out there. But for the most part, it’s been brilliant, and it’s great to have him out here. He loves it, and he played well today. As I said, he bettered me by five. His goal for the week was if he could better me by four a day, 16 for the week, I think we have a decent chance.
