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WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL

August 5, 2010

Rory McIlroy

AKRON, OHIO

Q. Could you sum up your opening round for us, please.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was okay. I played nicely in parts and sort of struggled a little bit in other parts, but I got around there somehow, and it's a pretty good start to the week.

Q. You had a nice little run on the back nine, as well.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was good. Every time I've played with Phil I've enjoyed it. I think we enjoy each other's company. Chatted pretty much the whole way around. It's nice, especially when you're out in a two-ball. It's nice to have a playing partner that you can talk to and have a little bit of a chat, and it was good.

Q. (Inaudible.)
RORY McILROY: Well, this week I'd love to get myself into contention. I'd love to get my game in the best possible shape going into next week, but I'm focusing on this week and trying to really do better -- I mean, do better than what I did last year. I didn't play very well here last year. I feel it is a golf course if I can play well on, it's a course that I can get it going and possibly put myself in with a chance to win.

Q. (Inaudible.)
RORY McILROY: Not particularly, no. It wasn't a great week. I spent more time focusing on the range than actually out on the golf course last year, trying to get myself ready for the week after. And this year I feel as if I'm coming in here hitting it nicely and don't have many swing thoughts. I'm just trying to go out there and play and trying to shoot some good scores.

Q. Do you learn something every time you play with these top players? I know you're a top player yourself, but somebody like a Phil Mickelson?
RORY McILROY: I don't really think about it that much to be honest. I'm not going to go and sit and think about how he played. But yeah, I mean, he made a very mediocre round into a very good round, and that's sort of what he does. He can go on a run and make a few birdies. He sometimes makes them an unconventional way. He's very good at just getting the ball around the golf course and shooting good scores.

Q. (Inaudible.)
RORY McILROY: Yeah. Well, I'm obviously building my practice facility at home, and he's building one, as well. So we were talking about that, and different grasses and greens and tee boxes and things like that.

Q. Did you find something mid-round?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, I played the last few -- I hit a great shot into 16, the par-5, and flew it into the back trap. When I got that up-and-down, that sort of gave me a little bit of a boost so I can go on. I hit two good shots into 18 and didn't make birdie, and then I got on that nice run at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and from then I played solid golf. Didn't make any more birdies but I played a lot better the last 11, 12 holes.

Q. Did you do something swing-wise because you were spraying a little bit driving early on.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I struggled -- that 11th hole where I hit it into the trees, I struggled all last year on it, as well, I just kept hitting it right into the trees, so I don't know if it was a bit of a subconscious thing or whatever. Yeah, I hit a great drive down 14, and yeah, I mean, I sort of found something. The two shots that I lost to the right, I was trying to fade them, take them off the left side and just over did it. It wasn't much.

Q. The shot at 16 was a great shot. You looked quite surprised at what happened.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I had 107 yards, and I thought I needed to pitch it about 114, 115, because of the spin, and it's a 115 club, if that, 112, and I just said, right, it's just a normal one of these, and it pitched 125 or something. Whenever it sailed over the pin, I knew it was big. Once I hit it, I knew it was -- I thought it might have pitched on the fringe and came back, but it just went straight into the bunker.

Q. Based on that did you adjust your game or the clubs you were using?
RORY McILROY: No, I think it was a bit of a -- I don't know if I delofted it or whatever, but I hit a lovely wedge at the 1st from 109 yards and hit it to a couple feet and hit another nice wedge shot into the last there, as well. I think it was just a one-off hopefully.

Q. Going to be a few behind but still a nice platform, isn't it?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I mean, you can be 10 or 11 off the lead going into the weekend here and still have a chance. But hopefully I can go out there tomorrow and shoot another round in the 60s hopefully, maybe a bit lower than today, and really put myself into good position going into the weekend.

Q. Is it just the sort of confidence you're playing with at the moment that you could come back and get yourself up there on the leaderboard?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, sort of, yeah. I mean, to be honest, I got off to a lovely start, hit a nice wedge into the 10th and made birdie. I was quite disappointed to give those shots back on 11 and 13. Something I've actually had a habit of, especially last weekend in Ireland. Every time I made a birdie I seemed to make a bogey. So tried not to do that. I just sort of hung in there. I knew there was a few chances coming up if I could just put it on the fairway, and I knew I was hitting my irons good so I knew I was going to have a few chances coming in.

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