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DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI

November 15, 2016

Rory McIlroy

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Rory, welcome. Thanks for joining us, as always.

Looking forward to your title defence of the DP World Tour Championship?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I am. It's always good to be back here. It doesn't seem like, whatever it is, six or seven years ago, we played our first one here back in 2009, and I was battling Lee Westwood for the title and The Race to Dubai.

Yeah, it's great to be back. Great memories from this place. Obviously last year had a great battle with Andy Sullivan and was able to come out on top, so, yeah, looking forward to the week.

Feel like my game is in pretty good shape. I've played this golf course pretty well in the past, and hopefully can play it just as well, if not better this week, would be a good way to finish the year on a high and get a victory and lift the trophy and hopefully make the turkey taste a bit better at Christmas.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: And your own thoughts on the actual Race to Dubai, mathematically possible, but I believe you're tinged with realism on your chances.

RORY McILROY: Yes, mathematically I can win, but it's not going to happen. I wouldn't hold my breath. I think the three guys that are ahead of me are playing very good golf, especially the two Swedes, Henrik and Alex. Alex with what he's done over the past few weeks; Henrik has had a fantastic year, and so has Danny, obviously.

So I don't expect those guys to play badly this week. You know, so I'm just concentrating on trying to win the golf tournament and if I can do that, I'll be very happy.

Q. Obviously you have won the FedExCup, which is a great achievement, but any regrets that by not playing in Turkey, you effectively ruled yourself out of what would have been three in a row?
RORY McILROY: No, not really. I'm very happy with my decision. I've been here for the last couple of weeks. I've done a bit of practice, enjoyed myself. So, no, no regrets at all.

Q. Danny was saying earlier, that he feels a bit frazzled because it's been such a long year. I wonder whether you're probably a lot more relaxed now at least because there's a bit less pressure on you in terms of The Race to Dubai?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think so. It has, it's been a long year for some of those guys, especially someone like Danny, he got off to a great start this year and then he's been chasing it a little bit. He played The Ryder Cup, he played the Dunhill, he took a week off or whatever it was, and then he's played quite a bit leading up to this.

So I can understand why he feels a little bit that way, and I'm sure he's looking forward to a break.

But yeah, it's nice to have the luxury of being able to pick and choose somewhat where you play and when you play. I played pretty well in China. At the start of the week in China, I wasn't expecting not to play Turkey, but then things happen, things change, and now here we are.

But I can understand guys being very mentally more frazzled than physically, even though there is a lot of travel to and from some of these events the last few weeks. But I feel pretty fresh and feel like I'm ready to go, and going to give it 100 per cent for the last tournament of the year and hopefully I can put in a good performance and maybe get a fourth win of the season.

Q. Obviously this week can change things. How are you going to look back on this season? What's the assessment on how the year's been for you?
RORY McILROY: I mean, it's been good. I've won a couple of things that I hadn't won before. I won The Irish Open, which a huge thing personally for me. It mightn't be the biggest tournament in the world, but personally to me in my mind it is one of the biggest I play all year. That was nice to be able to knock that off and to win the FedExCup, as well, was big. That was something that I hadn't won before, and to win that, and the fashion that I did, and winning two of the last three Playoff events over there, that was very satisfying.

My play in majors was disappointing: Missing the cut at the U.S. Open and the PGA; I had a top five at The Open but that was soon forgotten because of what Henrik and Phil did.

Apart from majors aside, I feel like it's been a pretty good, consistent year. But going into next year, I'd like to think that my performances in the majors are going to be better.

Q. The Irish Open mightn't have been a big tournament this year but it's going to be a big tournament next year as part of the Rolex Series. Wondering, can you give us your thoughts on that and how it might affect your schedule next year?
RORY McILROY: First and foremost, I'm very grateful for The European Tour and Rolex including The Irish Open in this Rolex Series. The Irish Open's been given a great date, as well. It's two weeks before The Open on a links golf course. We're really excited about it.

It doesn't change my schedule that much. I'm going to play a pretty busy run up to Augusta. Play Augusta, and then I'll take a few weeks off and start up again at THE PLAYERS.

But then, you know, I'll play a pretty similar schedule to what I played this year. But it gives guys an incentive to maybe play a little bit more on this side of the pond leading up to The Open Championship, and hopefully that's the case to get some great fields leading up to, in June and July and leading up to The Open.

Q. Would you include yourself in that going forward?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, of course. I mean, look, I had a meeting with a few of the guys yesterday, and Keith was involved, Keith Pelley was involved in this, and I think one of the big consensus is it's getting more and more difficult to play two tours. With the regulations that the PGA TOUR are putting upon us and with how great the events are becoming over here, and it's hard to jump back and forth and play tournaments.

It is very, very difficult, and you've seen players that have tried it before and it just doesn't quite work for them. It takes a certain type of player and a certain type of mentality to be able to do it.

So I think you might see more guys spending prolonged periods in either/or, because jumping back and forth, you can do it for so long, but in the long run, it just doesn't work too well.

Q. Just getting back to Danny's example, he's a bit frazzled this year, first-time Major Champion. How difficult is it when you become a Major winner to say no and plan your schedule?
RORY McILROY: It's an adjustment, it really is. It's an adjustment. I felt it at the back end of 2011, and trying to chase Luke down to try to win The Race to Dubai. I went to a few places that maybe I wouldn't have.

It's tough. It's a long year. But you know, it's great. Great opportunities; you go play different parts of the world; you try to expose your brand to different markets. He's a Masters Champion; he's got a green jacket. There's loads of places in the Far East and Asia that love that. So it's a great opportunity for him to do that, so while he has it, he may as well take advantage of it.

Q. Can you give us a what's happening with the equipment situation, and are you going to use this almost six or seven weeks of free time that you will have after the tournament in getting -- sorting out all the things for your bag?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm a bit of a free agent at the minute. Threes been approaches made left, right and centre, and it's been nice. But yeah, look, I'm pretty set with what I'm playing right now. Obviously I put TaylorMade woods in the bag in China. I've still got those in the bag here.

But after this tournament, I'm going to go -- I've got a little bit of travel to do, but I'm coming back here to Dubai in the middle of December for ten days and I'm going to test. I'm going to spend a few days with a few different equipment companies and test and see what they have, and really just see what works best for me.

But it's really all up in the air. I mean, I really -- I mean, I might find a ball that works. I might find a set of irons that work. It could be a real mix-match of golf clubs in my bag come early 2017. But it's nice to have the option.

Q. Have you played much with Alex Noren, and if so, what does he do well?
RORY McILROY: I actually have. So Alex and I practice a good bit at The Bear's Club together. He spends a little bit -- he has in the past, the last couple of years, spent a little bit of time in Florida. We actually, we both lived in Monaco for a couple of years, as well, so we saw each other from time to time.

I think one of the biggest things about Alex is how hard he works. He is one of the hardest workers on Tour. And even over the past couple of years, to his detriment. He's had injuries because of how much he practices and how many balls he hits.

He's got a great balance in his life now. Him and his girlfriend just had a baby earlier this year, and I think that's brought great balance to his life, and it gives him an opportunity and an excuse to get away from the game, which I think is a good thing for him.

So I think that's why you're seeing all these great results is life is a little more balanced now and he can take time away from it, and you can see it in his results.

Q. So this run of results, extraordinary, didn't surprise you?
RORY McILROY: No, not at all. I mean, he's always been a great player. He's battled injuries in the past. He's had a tough time of it. But you know, you look at some of the wins that he's had, even before this year and the likes of, I think he won Sweden a couple years ago by eight or nine shots and ran away with it. He has the capability of doing these things for sure.

Q. What do you think of the Rolex Series initiative as a whole?
RORY McILROY: It's fantastic. I think to be able to bring some of the bigger and best tournaments on The European Tour schedule and put them into this Rolex Series where obviously you're playing for an increased prize fund, which is fantastic.

It's a great thing for The European Tour. It's a great thing for The European Tour membership. But just to have the opportunity to bring more of the best players together more often, I think is going to be a real boost for The European Tour.

You know, Keith Pelley has been a huge part of that, and I think him getting involved and giving The European Tour a bit of different energy has definitely helped. Rolex have stepped up big time, and they have been a great partner for golf for many, many years. But this sort of brings them to another level. So everyone in golf should be grateful for them for what they have done.

I'm happy to be a part of it. I'm excited obviously that The Irish Open is a part of it. It's a massive thing for The European Tour.

Q. Because the Irish and the Scottish are back-to-back with 7 million prize funds, do you think that will increase chances of players playing both before The Open, where in the past it might have been two-out-of-three?
RORY McILROY: I certainly hope so. There's no reason why not, if people want to get some links golf in. And there's some guys that might choose to play The Irish Open and there's some guys that might choose to play The Scottish Open. You're not going to get everyone playing two events leading up to a major, but I think it will be great. It gives both tournaments an opportunity to get some of the best players of the world there, and you know, that should be celebrated.

Q. If you win this, you go back to world No. 1. How much incentive is that to end the year as world No. 1?
RORY McILROY: It is. It's a big incentive for me. It's been a while since I've been in that spot. So yeah, that's really -- you know, the last few years, I knew if I won this tournament, I would win The Race to Dubai.

Now I know if I win this tournament, I'll finish the year at world No. 1. So it's a big incentive for me to try and get that back. It would be nice to have that little bit of momentum going into next year.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Rory, we wish you well with that quest. Good luck.

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