TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 27, 2023

Rory McIlroy

East Lake Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Pretty proud of that effort despite the injury to start the week?

RORY McILROY: Yeah. Hung in there the first couple days when I really wasn't feeling great. Then quite a bit of improvement yesterday. Then felt I could actually tee the driver up a bit today and hit a couple of tee shots in the air. Felt like I could cover the ball more with my irons. So, just excited that I'm feeling better. So that's good, going into the next few weeks, and nice to sign off with a good score.

Q. What is the prognosis then? Are the next few days any different than they would be if you hadn't been hurt?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, probably a few more like rehab sort of exercises at just making sure that this right side is stabilized. Yeah, it's sort of -- it started upper right back, worked its way down to the lower back and now I feel it in the hip and the glutes, if anything. It's sort of working its way down to -- hopefully by the end of the week it sort of works its way out. But, yeah, it's much better. So just take it easy and maybe hit a few balls sort of closer to the weekend next week to get ready for Ireland. So probably put the clubs away for three or four days and make sure that everything body-wise is good. Start up again and get ready for the next few weeks.

Q. Viktor is a guy who is willing to uncover every stone and try new things. What impresses you about the way he kind of goes about things?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, really hard worker. Does it his own way. I think he's found a really repeatable golf swing. He sort of aims it up the right side, brings it in over and hits that sort of flat cut down there. He's one of the best drivers of the golf ball in the world. I think as we all know he's improved around the greens this year. That's been the difference from being a still a top-10 player in the world to what he's done this year. Winning at Memorial, winning last week, having a chance at Oak Hill. So, yeah, look, hell of a player. He works incredibly hard. Nothing but respect for how he goes about his business. True professional. For someone that's still so young, he's got quite an old head on those shoulders. It would be great to see him close this one out.

Q. Despite your injury and probably being tired, how much are you looking forward to the Ryder Cup based on your play, Viktor's play, Rahm's play, Tommy? I can keep going.

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think we're all excited. There's a lot of us that were in that team at Whistling Straights and that didn't feel very nice, didn't feel good. So, yeah, I'm excited to get back over to Europe. We're all sort of making our way over to Europe a couple weeks early. So it will be nice to all get together, get some early team dinners before the week in Rome and sort of really feel like that sort of team chemistry is starting already. So, yeah, I think we're all excited. We're all, for the most part, playing really good. We're, there's still a few weeks to go, but, yeah, I mean it's the next big thing in all of our calendars.

Q. On that point, is there any significance -- I know we tend to over analyze these things -- is there any significance to the Americans basically having four or five weeks off most of them to you're playing twice, a bunch of guys are playing twice before Ryder Cup?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, not necessarily. I think as everyone knows the Ryder Cup is such a different deal. There's plenty of time before the Ryder Cup. But, yeah, I mean, maybe sharpness might come into it a little bit. But I honestly don't think it's going to make a huge difference. I know personally for me I'm glad that I'm playing a couple more times going in, just to feel like my game is as sharp as it possibly can be, yeah.

Q. At the last Ryder Cup is it true that Padraig asked everybody who they wanted to play with and everybody came back with Viktor on their list. Like if they were asking for a favorite. Some story like that. I think he was trying to point out how well liked he was.

RORY McILROY: I think if anyone, if someone came along -- if someone came along to any of us on the team and said we're going to put you out with Viktor today I don't think anyone would say no. Just put it that way. Four-balls, foursomes. It's Viktor, but it's also Shay his caddie. They're a great duo. Great to get along with. I really enjoyed my day with him on Sunday last week when he shot the lights out. So, yeah, the other 11 guys on the European team I don't think would have an issue if they went out with Viktor.

Q. A FedExCup question. I know you're a fan of this staggered start format. Do you have any issue -- like Jon Rahm's going to finish 18th or 19th. Now in 10 years he'll be remembered on Wikipedia as having finished 19th when he could be Player of the Year. Does that bother you at all? Is that a fault of the system? Is that just how it goes?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, a basketball team could go 82-0 and lose in the first round of the playoffs. If that's sort of the competitive environment that we're trying to create, then I would say more Jon Rahm finished second in the regular season in the Comcast Top 10. I think as that might become more prevalent as the years go on and more money gets put into the regular season as well. You know, it's almost like two different competitions, two different events. You've got the regular season and then you've got the playoffs. I think everyone tries to put them together in the same sort of thing, but really they're like regular season and then this is sort of like a 12-round sprint to the finish.