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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2016

Rory McIlroy

Augusta, Georgia

Q. How do you sum up a tough day like today?
RORY MCILROY: Just one of those days. You have to try to forget about it and move on.
To be honest with you, I would be feeling a lot worse about myself if I hadn't have just seen what Jordan did the last two holes. I sort of take a bit of heart from that, that I'm still in this golf tournament.
Standing on 17 tee I didn't feel I was. I was eight back. But it just shows you how fast things can happen on this golf course, especially when the conditions are like they are. The greens might not be quite as strong tomorrow, but the greens are still firm, they're crusty, you miss it on the wrong side and you're making life very difficult yourself.
But I just need to go out there tomorrow and be aggressive. I've got nothing to lose. Today was my bad day and hopefully I can go out there and make up for the lack of birdies today and make double the amount tomorrow.

Q. Was something off today with your swing?
RORY MCILROY: No, not really. I felt like I swung the club pretty well. I made a couple of loose swings. I think the big turning point for me in the round was the 7th. I hit two great shots in there, just above the pin, thought I holed my putt for birdie, it goes six feet by and I miss the one coming back. Jordan was making bogey there anyway and to not at least pick up a shot there, it sort of killed all momentum that I maybe would have gotten.
Then to hit it in the bunker on 8 from there, I was just making life very difficult for myself.
I didn't feel like anything was off, but it was just, I was sort of just trying to sort of playing upstream, I guess you can say. I was always trying to get something going and I just couldn't. I felt like I righted the ship the last seven holes, I made seven pars coming in and had a lot of chances coming in, but I didn't take any opportunities.
If I had, I would have been standing here maybe three off the lead instead of five off the lead. But at the same time, I'm only five off the lead and that has to, even though I can't take many positives from today, I have to stay positive that I am only five back and I know what can happen on this golf course on a Sunday and everyone does. I think anyone within five or six of the lead feel like they still have a good shot.

Q. How much did the conditions play into it the weather?
RORY MCILROY: A lot. It's hard to pick a club. It's hard to trust what you have in your hand. And then you're reading putts and you're trying to determine how much the wind is going to be a factor and how much it's not going to be a factor. Then, if have you a little lull in wind, or the wind starts to pick up, it's‑‑ you saw us backing off a lot of shots today and there's a reason for that. It was very difficult out there and very difficult to trust what you were doing.
So, tomorrow I just need to go out with a mindset I'm going to commit to everything, I'm going to basically go at every pin that I can and see how low I can go.

Q. That seven pars, which at the time probably didn't seem that good, and you talked about missing some putts, you look back now, that's what kept you in the ball game.
RORY MCILROY: Yeah, it did. I think the shot into 12 was an important one after making double on 11.
I didn't make the putt there, but it at least gives me a look at a birdie. I hadn't had a look, a realistic look at a birdie for awhile. So to have a look at a birdie there‑‑ and I knew 13 and 15 were coming up that were potential birdie opportunities, but I felt like I played the final stretch pretty well. I just didn't take any opportunities that I gave myself.
But those seven pars, as you said, instead of being eight behind, I'm five behind and I feel like I still have somewhat of a chance.

Q. That being the case, knowing that you can have a bad day like today, you said this was your bad day‑‑
RORY MCILROY: I hope so.

Q. But relief, is there a feeling of maybe relief that you were able to play, you didn't play well, but you're only five back.
RORY MCILROY: I feel like I can go out tomorrow and just free wheel a little bit. As I said earlier, I was a little tentative out there. I was trying to make pars, because pars are good, obviously pars are good. But at the same time, you still need to try and play your natural game and my natural game is to be quite aggressive and to go at pins.
But it's hard to do that in conditions like today. So that's why it's going to be a little more benign tomorrow and I think you'll see guys going at pins a little bit more and especially everyone knows where the pins are going to be on the back nine on Sunday here, so we all know what they are and feel like you can get if going and get some momentum on the front nine and who knows what can happen on the back.

Q. Does it ever get annoying watching him make those putts?
RORY MCILROY: I turned around on, after 15, I said, how the hell is he 2‑under par today? But it's his most impressive asset, it's his most impressive ‑‑ and as much as it could be annoying to his competitors, it's very, very impressive.
I think that the guys that are out there that are playing that golf course today, we're the ones that appreciate that the most. And as much as it does dishearten you seeing those putts lip in, you got to take your hat off to him, because he is such a grinder and such a battler and he always sticks in there.
It's a tough finish, but he'll come out here and speak to you guys and be positive and still be in the lead. And he's sitting on top of the leaderboard where he has been for basically the last three years here, so he's going out there tomorrow and it's his to lose. There's a few guys that have a chance and I feel like if I can get off to a good start, you never no.

Q. You say it's his to lose, that put more pressure on him and allow you to play a little freer?
RORY MCILROY: I hope so. Yeah, he's been in control of this golf tournament from the first day. But, I mean, pressure's ‑‑ I haven't got a Green Jacket, he has. So there's added pressure that comes with that, too.
So, we'll see what happens tomorrow. But I'm just, as I said, I'm feeling a little better standing here five behind than I was on the 17th tee. So I have to take some heart from that and regroup and come back and be positive tomorrow.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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