Riviera Country Club has Rory McIlroy eager for Genesis Invitational | Golf Today | Golf Channel

Rory McIlroy tells Kira K. Dixon about his excitement for the Genesis Invitational, driven largely by his love for Riviera Country Club, and the Golf Today crew analyzes McIlroy’s state of mind ahead of the event. #GolfChannel #GolfToday #RoryMcIlroy
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Riviera Country Club has Rory McIlroy eager for Genesis Invitational | Golf Today | Golf Channel
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HE’S TYING FOR SIXTH. HE GETS HIS FIRST ROUND STARTED TOMORROW ALONGSIDE THE GUY WHO WON A COUPLE WYNDHAM CLARK. HURRICANE DIXON JOINS US ONCE AGAIN. WE ALL KNOW WHEN RORY McILROY IS ON HE IS SO TOUGH TO BEAT. ALTHOUGH HE DIDN’T PLAY AS WELL

AS PEBBLE HE DID FINISH SECOND UNWANTED EVENT AND ONE IN DUBAI THE FOLLOWING WEEK. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS ATTITUDE RIGHT NOW? >> I WOULD DESCRIBE HIS ATTITUDE AS EXTREMELY POSITIVE. THIS IS A PLACE HE REALLY LIKES.

AS YOU KNOW WHEN RORY HAS AN AFFINITY FOR THE VENUE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT SPEAKS TO HIM . HE LOVES THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL AND RIVIERA. ONE OF THE LASTING IMAGES THAT I WILL ALWAYS HAVE IS LAST YEAR ON THURSDAY HE PLAYED IN THE

FIRST ROUND WITH TIGER WOODS AND JUSTICE THOMAS AND THEY ALL MAY BIRDIE AND LOOKED AT EACH OTHER. JUST AN EMOTIONAL AND REALLY HAPPY PLACE. YESTERDAY HE TOLD ME EXACTLY WHY. >> IT IS GREAT BEING BACK. I DIDN’T PLAY THIS TOURNAMENT

IS NOT AT THE START OF MY CAREER. SINCE 2015 I DON’T THINK I’VE MISSED IT. IT’S ONE OF MY FAVORITE STOPS. I LOVE THE COURSE. I LOVE THE AREA. HONESTLY THE TIGER HOST THE EVENT MAKES IT EVEN MORE SPECIAL.

THIS YEAR NOT AS MANY GUYS. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT ON FRIDAY. I THINK IF YOU ASKED MOST OF THE GUYS THIS WILL BE ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE COURSES. I THINK IT’S NICE TO SEE BLUE SKIES FOR A CHANGE.

>> WHY INTERESTING WITH THE CUT? THE THREE PLAYER HOSTED INVITATIONAL’S ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER SIGNATURE EVENTS THAT DO NOT HAVE A CUT. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW MANY GUYS ARE HERE FOR THE

WEEKEND IN TERMS OF THE 10 SHOT RULE. IT WILL JUST BE INTERESTING TO SEE WITH THIS SHORT FIELD AND HAVING A CUT, HOW IT ALL PLAYS OUT ON FRIDAY NIGHT. HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE ANOTHER STORY LINE FOR THE EVENT. >> SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN

INTERESTING IS YOUR START OF THE SEASON. YOU HAVE TO BATTLE THE WEATHER AT PEBBLE. ONE OF THE KEYS TO YOUR FOCUS ON COMING INTO THIS WEEK? >> I HAD A GOOD TIME WITH MY COACH LAST WEEK AT HOME.

WE WORKED ON A COUPLE OF SIMPLE THINGS THAT I HAVE SORT OF WORKED ON IN THE MIDDLE OF LAST YEAR AND HAVE SUCCESS WITH COMING OUT OF THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE END OF THE SUMMER. I GOT BACK TO A FEW BASICS.

I WAS GETTING A MASS WITH THE DRIVER. AND THEN AT PEBBLE BEACH, JUST TRYING TO IRON A COUPLE OF THINGS OUT. I FEEL PRETTY GOOD GOING INTO THIS WEEK. >> WE KNOW THAT YOU’RE PLAYING A BUSY SCHEDULE HEADING INTO THE MAJORS.

CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO THE DECISION- MAKING YOU MADE WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR SCHEDULE? >> I FEEL LIKE I PLAY BETTER WHEN I PLAY A LOT. I THINK MY GAME IS SHARPER AND THAT I THINK BETTER. SOMETIMES THIS PART OF THE

SEASON IF STOP-START FOR ME. I KIND OF WANTED TO GET INTO EVENTS GOING INTO THAT MAJOR SEASON. IT’S A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I’VE DONE THE PREVIOUS SEASONS. I AM EXCITED TO PLAY. IT’S WHAT I DO. IT IS NICE TO STAY BUSY.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. >> HE MENTIONED THE WORK THAT HE’S BEEN DOING WITH HIS COACH. WALK WITH HIM YESTERDAY AND FOR 3 OR FOUR HOLES THIS MORNING AND HE SAYS THE GAME IS FEELING REALLY GOOD AND HE FEELS LIKE

THE WORK IS REALLY SHOWING UP. EARLIER THIS MORNING HE WAS FIRST OFFICE 6:30. HIS USUAL CATTY TO HAVE A NICE WALK ALONG WITH HIM TODAY. HE HAD A NICE KID FROM IRELAND WHO GOT TO FLY OUT. HE WON A SWEEPSTAKES AND GOT TO

BE HERE TO CATTY FOR RORY. A NICE EXPERIENCE FOR HIM. RORY AGAIN EXCITED TO TEE IT UP. >> I’M SURE HE WAS SO INVESTED. AS ALWAYS WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. >> THANKS, GUYS. >> IN REGARDS TO HOW RORY HAS

PLAYED HE IS MAKING HIS EIGHTH START. HE’S MADE SIX CUTS WITH THREE TOP TENS. HE DOES LIKE IT. HE HASN’T QUITE CROSSED THE THRESHOLD TO WIN BUT WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THEM HEADING INTO THE WEEK? >> WE WERE BOTH IN PEBBLE BEACH

AND I THINK WHAT WE SAW IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT WE WILL SEE AT LEAST THROUGH AUGUSTA. SHE WINS EARLIER IN THE YEAR IN DUBAI. I THINK HE IS EXACTLY WHERE HE WANTS TO BE. THIS IS WHERE TIGER MAY THINK A LITTLE UNFAIR.

HE FIGURED OUT THE FORMULA FOR THE FOUR EVENTS THAT MATTER THE MOST. RORY IS TRYING TO DO THAT. THAT IS WHY HE IS PLAYING SIX EVENTS BEFORE HE GETS TO AUGUSTA. IF YOU GO BACK TO THE YEAR HE ESSENTIALLY STARTED WORKING ON

THAT CAREER GRAND SLAM HE HAS DONE IT A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT WAYS. IN 15 HE PLAYED IN THREE EVENTS. IN 2018 HE PLAYS SIX. IN 2019 HE PLAYED SEVEN AND IT SEEMS LIKE HE IS LEANING IN THAT DIRECTION TO PLAY MORE

GOING INTO THE MASTERS. IN 2022 HE ONLY PLAYED FOUR EVENTS. >> OUT OF SIX PGA TOUR EVENTS HE HAS TO PLAY PRIOR TO THE MASTERS. IF YOU ADD ON THOSE TWO THAT’S EIGHT TOURNAMENTS THAT HE WILL PLAY PRIOR TO THE MASTERS.

I HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO HIM AT PEBBLE AND HE SAYS HE LIKES TO BE AT A BIG EVENT AFTER PLAYING AT LEAST A WEEK BEFORE. HE FEELS LIKE HIS THIRD EVENT IN A ROW IS WHEN HE IS REALLY

PEEKING AND THAT IS WHAT HE IS GOING TO BE DOING HEADING INTO THE PLAYERS. HE’S GOING TO PLAY WEST PALM BEACH AND THEN GO NORTH TO PLAY AND AMANDA. THE PLAYERS WOULD BE THE THIRD EVENT. THE MASTERS WILL BE THE SECOND

IN THAT STRETCH AFTER SAN ANTONIO. ANOTHER THING THAT I’M NOTICING IS HE SEEMS MORE RELAXED. PART OF THAT IS THE FACT THAT HE HAS UNBURDENED HIMSELF IF THAT IS THE WAY YOU WANT TO USE IT WITH BEING A PJ POLICY BOARD MEMBER.

HE WAS HEAVILY IN THE THROES TRYING TO GET THESE DEALS AND MAKE SURE THE PGA TOUR IS NOT ONLY TRYING TO SAY PLAYERS TO REMAIN AND NOT HAVE THEM GO TO LIV, BUT TO HAVE