Rory McIlroy shares his excitment and love for being back in Australia | Wide World of Sports

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Okay, everybody. Welcome again to the Crown Australian Open Media Center and a particularly big welcome to Rory Mroy, the 2025 Masters winner and career grand slam holder. Rory, everywhere you go, I think it’s a bit of mayhem and a bit of craziness, but did you expect what you’ve got since you’ve arrived in Melbourne? Yeah, it’s been it’s been a a very warm welcome and um obviously delighted to be here. Um first time playing in Australia in in quite a while. So, um, you know, I’ve I’ve been excited to come back. I’ve, um, you know, it hasn’t been a secret that I’ve that I’ve wanted to come back as well. And, um, I think just with obviously the, you know, the wonderful golf courses that we’re playing the next couple of years. Um, also the change in the format going back to the sort of traditional um, the traditional Australian Open has has probably, you know, helped that too. Um but yeah, just really excited to be back. Beautiful. We’ll go to some questions guys. So just a reminder, raise your hand and a microphone will come to you. Adam Rory, welcome to Australia. I know you spoke many times in the past about a couple of days. What do you think the vision should be for a tournament like this where Yeah, it’s um it’s a good question. And you know, I think um I spoke about this a little bit last night on stage at the gala dinner, but if you look at the world of golf right now, there’s three pretty big tournaments going on on the same week. You know, you’ve got Tigers event in the Bahamas, you got the Ned Bank in South Africa, and obviously you’ve got here. Um I think you know those three tournaments, I mean you know what Sun City used to be, the million-dollar, it’s probably lost a little bit of what it had. Um, I’d say this tournament has lost a little bit of what it had, you know, back in the, you know, say 30, 40 years ago. Um, and I’d say even Tigers event is probably the same way. It’s maybe not as So, I think because there’s so much golf and there’s so many tournaments, um, the eyeballs are divided and the the interest in every one of those tournaments this week is probably not as high as it should be. So, um, you know, I think this this tournament in particular, because of the history, because of the tradition, um, deserves to be a standalone tournament, a week on its own. And, um, you know, hopefully one day, um, the pars that be can, you know, put together a schedule where, you know, the the biggest and best tournaments in the world and the the oldest and the ones with the most heritage, um, you know, can be elevated and and stand on their own. I know this obviously this week all around the world where you comparing other around the world. Yeah. Um I going to I don’t want the membership to take this bad. It’s probably not the best course in Melbourne, I think. You know, that’s my opinion. Um but it’s certainly in the top 10 in the world. So, it’s like, you know, there’s just there’s so much great golf in in this country, uh, and especially in this in this area. Um, but yeah, I didn’t I guess I didn’t know what to I mean, I’ve watched it on TV. I I didn’t I didn’t uh anticipate how many blind t-shots there was going to be. Um, and yeah, it sort of takes a little bit to to figure out. Um, it’s certainly not straightforward. Uh, I think as well it probably plays better in a southerntherly wind rather than a northerly wind. I think I’ve played it today. You know, it, you know, some of the shorter holes are downwind and it plays a little funky and then but if you hit the southerntherly wind and it gets back into the wind then they play like really good. So, um I probably it’s probably not a fair reflection on the golf course playing it in this wind. It would be good to play it in a few other um directions, but yeah, it’s obviously it’s an amazing golf course and can’t wait to to get out there and compete on it this week. Sam just down the front left. What is the best golf course in uh Kingston Heath? Um on Royal you know the biggest quite short golf course selection last night on stage you wanted to see what some of the work of the golf course. Yeah it is. It’s a little um I mean it’s it gives you options. It certainly gives you options and I think if I knew the golf course better and was more comfortable on it um I’d probably be more inclined to hit more club off the tea because I’d be more comfortable with my lines. But, you know, today even on um on the 15th hole, for example, you know, I hit a sixiron off the tea cuz it just the way you visually the hole just looks, you know, like you hit it up the left and it sort of feeds down to the right and then you pit a wedge in. But Cam Smith was playing behind me and he hit driver up, you know, close to the green. So, um, yeah, certainly different ways to play it, but, um, you know, may, you know, I’m going to have to try to get the first couple of rounds over me and and, um, figure it out sort of as I go. Uh, and maybe then I can start to be play a little bit more aggressive at the weekend if if I feel a bit more comfortable. So, I would think so. Yeah. Yeah. Evan down here on the right. Welcome back, mate. Thanks, Evan. you spokely about the last years, right? And you haven’t been down 11 years. I’m wondering why did you visit so much that admiration for Australia and that come from? Um, I I think Australia has been a very big part of my golfing life and my golfing journey. Um, you know, going all the way back to playing the Australian Open as an amateur back in 2005 and 2006. Um, and then I just think the quality of the golf down here, the quality of the players that have come from here. Um, and then also you look at, you know, I mentioned it last night, but you look at an event like Live Adelaide and the people that come out to that event and how excited they are that some of the top players in the world are down there playing and it just feels like this country is starved of um top top level golf. Obviously, you’ve had President’s Cups come down here and you know the you know you’ve you’ve had a lot of good players still come through, but um maybe just not on a consistent basis and I think a a market like this with amazing fans and and and the history that it does have probably deserves more of a a consistency of of um you know big players and big tournaments. Follow up. you said at the dinner last night towards the next Yeah, there absolutely is. Um, you know, I’ve sort of I’ve talked about trying to win at some of the most important venues in golf. You know, this week is is one of them. you think about the tournaments and um you know the people that have won around Royal Melbourne um and how highly regarded it is you know within the golf world and you know I was lucky enough to win at Pebble Beach this year for the first time um obviously at Augusta you know I’d love to win at St. Andrews one day. Um, you know, I’d love to win a Pebble a US Open Pebble at Pebble Beach. I’, you know, there’s there’s just a few, um, you know, there’s a few venues in our game that maybe just mean a bit more than some of the others. And, you know, that’s something that I would, you know, that I would love to do one day. Um, but yeah, I mean, I I want to win more majors. Um, I want to be part of more RDER Cup teams. Um, I’d say my rec, you know, my records on either tour, whether it be the DP World Tour or the PJ tour, are probably meaning a little less to me as time goes on. And it’s really just focusing on the majors and um, you know, being part of that RDER Cup team and and sort of trying to build on the legacy that I’ve um, you know, that I’ve that I’ve been building over the last 15 years in that. Come over here to the left side. here in Australia. Yeah, it is. It’s um it is certainly a different style of golf. I think you know even the last few holes today the wind started to get up. You can feel you can feel the course start to change a little bit a little bit even you know already compared to yesterday. Um obviously it’s only going to get hotter and windier um over the next 24 to 36 hours. So I’ I’d say by um I’d say by Friday this course will be playing, you know, nice and firm and probably the way we all want to play it, especially here at the sand belt. So yeah, it is it’s a different style of golf. you’re having to think about what your ball’s doing on the ground once it once it gets there. And um just take, you know, it’s very it’s very strategic. It’s very positional. Um you know, and that’s um that’s a style of golf that I’ve started to appreciate more and more as as I’ve gotten further into my career. cricket. No, I No, I um I have to be back in the States on Monday, but um I I’ll be following. Obviously, I know the second test starts tomorrow. Um Australia got off to a great start, so you know, hopefully that continues. Mel Woods, sorry. Hi tomorrowit I mean I would love to revisit it. He probably wouldn’t. So um I I think about that tournament a lot. I I think about what it meant. I I felt at that point in my career um I was at a bit of a crossroads. I, you know, I’d gone off to a great start, but 2013 I’d really struggled and I’d started to find some form again. And I really do think that that win at the end of the year um was a was a catalyst for for what happened in 2014, which is um you know, I’d say 2014’s up there with 2025 is the best two years of my career. And um I think a large part of that was not only not only winning but the way that I won and then also beating Adam. Adam was coming back down here as the Mast’s champion world number one you know so that you know the way I played and the way I played against him gave me a lot of confidence going into that next year. just deal. Um I think just coming back to the sand belt um was a was a big you know my last um you know my last few Australian opens have been in Sydney and there’s nothing you know Royal Sydney was was amazing and so was the Australian but you know there is there is an allure to come back to Melbourne and and come back to the sand belt that was that was definitely a big part of it. Okay, last question just over here. Firstly, you’re so big in Australia. I’m sure you know why you’re following so many grown men on Instagram and Tik Tok when you won the Masters. It’s quite funny, but you kind of ruined my question because I was going to ask if you can only play one for the rest of your life. Is it five on the west co? Um, honestly, the part the the one par three I’d want to play for the rest of my life is um is it the spare hole at Kingston Heath? The one that’s right in the middle of the course that that’s the 10th the 10th. The I think the 10th is the members maybe play it. That to me is honestly my favorite part three in the world. You’re welcome. Thank you. All right. Thank you everyone and thank you to Rory who’s had a very big week and has a bigger week ahead with a golf tournament starting tomorrow. So, good luck this week. Thank you everyone. Please welcome Min Wu Lee to the media center for his pre-ournament press conference. Once again, guys, raise your hands. We’ll get a microphone to you. Min, obviously, you’re trying to win a golf tournament that you’re very keen to do, but there’s a lot of other stuff happening this week. You got a great little selfie backstage last night. Can you tell these people who wouldn’t have seen it what you got a photo of? Yeah. Uh, so it was the the gala last night and um just normal Q&A. Uh, and then Scotty brought out that you got to be careful if you have dinner with Minw because he’s going to take a selfie and then he’ll be on post it on Tik Tok or Snapchat. Uh, so then I decided to do it backstage uh after the Q&A. So um, I’ll post it probably today uh, if you guys are keen on it. And uh yeah, it was just nice to have a be on stage with, you know, major winners. Uh and of course uh Rory won the Masters and that’s uh very special and I haven’t actually played with him properly. I played nine holes with him at the Open, but this is the first time actually playing around with him in in my life. So it’ll be it will be exciting with the Australian crowd uh supporting us. You’ve obviously played a fair bit of sand belt golf, but this is the first time you’re going to play an Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. How exciting is that? Uh, it’s so exciting. Uh, you can see that it’s firming up just a little bit. The wind’s um blowing out there and uh it’s going to be it’s going to be fun. Uh, it’s it’s going to be I think it’s going to be tricky uh by the afternoon and uh yeah, very excited. Very excited. Different different golf than usual. Uh you got to think away think around uh every every shot really and uh make sure you don’t leave it in uh bad spots. So, um, you got to be in control of the ball and, uh, I am, so I’m pretty happy hopefully on the on the week days. We’ll open up to some questions, but just lastly for me, mate, first PJ tour win this year. It’s obviously been a massive year. How do you sort of reflect on the year? Yeah, uh, it’s been it’s been a good year. The last couple months have been really good, trending really well. I think the results have been getting a little bit better. Uh, and my approach play was something that I needed to get better at, and, uh, it’s it’s showing signs. So, very happy with that. Um yeah, just it’s the win was amazing. Uh and then after that, you know, even Rory said when he won the masters afterwards, he he didn’t really set his goals and set, I guess, regroup and and brief about what happened. Uh and you’re kind of on a high. So, uh you’re disappointed with playing bad golf, but you’re still so happy with the wind. Um I know my win wasn’t as significant as uh the Masters. Um, but you know, scale-wise, I guess it was, uh, it was, you know, a dream of mine to win a PGA Tour event and, uh, yeah, I probably didn’t do the best, uh, slowing down a little bit after that. Um, but happy to find my feet again and play some good golf. All right, we’ll come over here for the first question. What is the significance of Rory’s visit here, and what do you think it might do for Australian golf? And also, what would it mean for you to win this tournament? Yeah, I think there’s a huge buzz. I mean, Rory is one of the best golfers of the last decade. Um, you know, he’s I think he’s very underrated. He performs every week, week in week out. Uh, even though, you know, he would like to win, you know, a few times more, I mean, it’s still a great effort to put himself in that situation. And that’s something all of us golfers want to do. Uh, the longevity is is is amazing. Um, same to Scotty, of course. Uh, but that’s something that we want to do. uh play golf for a long time and and well um it’s it’s great for golf uh great for golf in Australia. Uh I think you know there’s not going to be many times where he does come over and play. So it’s it’s great to see a top golfer uh come over and uh and show us how it’s done. Uh it’s, you know, he’s a really good guy and uh yeah, it’ll be amazing to see uh how he plays this golf course. uh you can’t really overpower it uh or else he’ll he’ll bite you in the butt. So um yeah, you just got to be in control of the ball but also hit it in the in in really good positions and it’ll be yeah it’ll be great to win win win a tournament uh especially in Australia. Uh two years ago Aussie PGA that was one of you know the highlights of my career. So uh I would like to win an Australian Open. Uh there’s a lot of history to it and especially at Royal Melbourne it’ll be um significant. come down here for the next one. What do you think the world should expect this week as far as watching it on the telly for those who don’t know the sandb I mean it’s one of the best courses in the world. Uh I think it has very similar characteristics to Augusta. A lot of undulation on the greens, a lot of creativity. Uh you don’t hit many simple shots or you know easy shots. It has to be with with imagination. Uh, and I think that’s why Royal Melbourne is so good. Uh, you can’t there’s a lot of ways to play it. Uh, and it’s just fun. It’s uh, but it can bite you in the butt. You can’t overpower it. Uh, yeah. Matt Clearary. Hi, just got out here. He said that he’s coming out to the golf course and he’s open and historical presidents that we’ve had. But you talking to some of the American guys you tour with that’s where you make talking to those guys bring them here but you know what they for the same reason come here for this golf course and this tournament talking. Yeah, I mean I think somewhat of the schedule. Uh it’s it’s tough because it’s at the end of the schedule and everyone’s taking some time off and uh I mean Australia is not too close to America so that’s probably a big part of it. Um but yeah, I’d love to see more people come down here and play. Um I don’t know what it will take. Uh but you know, these guys are have a long season and they want to, you know, take some rest at home and uh I don’t blame them. Um, but you know, being down in Australia, being from Australia, I’m already down here and it’s it’s a lot easier for me to, you know, come and play this event. So, uh, yeah, would love them. I mean, everyone would love them, but it’s it’s challenging. Are they curious about it? Yeah, I’m Yeah, I’m sure they would love to love to come play. Um, I mean, they’ll see on TV that it’s, you know, it’s fun to play. Uh, and yeah, I mean we talk about it now and then, but yeah, nothing nothing too crazy about it. Come down here. How you going? Um, firstly, congrats on the win in Houston for someone’s first ever win, which is awesome. And then come out and you had acceptance speech last week, the week before, and cracked so many gags. How important is it to you just really having fun and are you trying to attract the younger generation or are you just purely being you? Yeah. Uh it’s a bit of both. Um you know I love seeing kids out here. There’s so many kids I It’s a school day but is it school day but they’re all out here? But uh it’s No, it’s amazing to see I still think of myself as a little kid. I keep keep saying it in every interview but I still feel 18 years old. And I was saying to my friends that uh I played with SP um in I don’t know 2016 or 2017 and I was 18 then and that was my masters. That was my major. Um I just maybe turned pro. I was still an amateur and you know this was one of the biggest events for me to get in and get a sponsors invite. So, uh, it has a, you know, special place in my heart and now I get to play with Rory, one of the, you know, best players of of the generation and Scotty that I grew up and, uh, looking up to. Uh, so it’s cool, cool and full circle moment. Uh, you know, kids actually, you know, make me keep wanting to play well. And just growing up in the social media era, uh, I like to make it a bit of fun. Um, you know, when I was young, I I didn’t love love golf uh to the extent right now. Um, I thought it was, you know, an old gentleman sport and, you know, just hit a golf ball. But I might as well make it fun uh while I’m still young and uh I got the opportunity, too. So, uh I really like seeing younger faces out here and enjoying. I don’t think they realize Royal Melbourne is as special as, you know, they will maybe when they’re a bit older, but uh it is it is cool to see see them just down the front here. There was a bit of talk around the fairway today that you might have bulked up a bit of gym work. Is that true and why? Uh yeah, I well last year I got hurt. My knee just I don’t know. I got it sublex which is uh just like a dislocation. Uh I literally rolled in bed and it popped out and I couldn’t bend down to read a part last year at the Aussie PG and Aussie Open. So that was probably the start of um the team thinking that we should be stronger. Uh I don’t know why I didn’t eat that much during that time on the golf course especially. Uh at the end of Aussie Open I was 71 kilos and now I’m 82. So there’s a big difference between now and then. Even just seeing the replay of of me on the on the big screen, it’s it’s amazing to see how how skinny I was. Um just just to get a lot more stable in my golf swing. Uh and yeah, I feel pretty good. Uh a little bit of pudding there, but I’ll try I’ll try to cut that down. Uh Christmas is coming up, so probably not. U maybe after that. Uh yeah, just to just to be a bit lot more stable with my swing. Uh it was a struggle after the win. I kind of uh all the signature events in America were, you know, thick, rough, and you had to be accurate. So, I didn’t do that. Uh so, the next step was to get stronger and change my swing a little bit for that. And uh yeah, good signs right now. Was that gym work or or more tougher? Uh a bit of both. Bit of both. Um a lot of Yeah, just aware of what I’m trying to eat and uh more protein and um a bit of a bulk. Uh yeah, you just got to start the cut soon. But bit of both. Yeah. All right. Thank you very much everyone and thank you Minw. Good luck this week. Thank you guys.