Q. Thanks very much for joining us, a round of 68 for a total of 15-under. Still a little bit of golf to be played but you don't think there's much chance, do you?
RORY McILROY: No, I don't think so. I can't imagine JJ is going to play the last two holes over par.
I had my chances out there. I putted okay for the most part this week but I missed a lot of putts. I feel over the weekend, or at least today.
And yeah, wish I had some of those putts back but I have to be encouraged with where my game is at. Hit the ball really well today. Hit the best I hit it during the course of the week and encouraged with the signs that my game is going and just have to keep working at it.
Q. Do you have a target score in mind when you see postings of 14-under, 15-under?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I saw Aaron was playing the last at 15 and wasn't able to make a birdie. So yeah, I thought 16, 17, was going to have a really good chance.
When I got to 14-under after the 14th hole, I thought if I can birdie 15 or 16 just before the last two par 5s, when I wasn't able to do that, if I can finish 16, birdie the last two and give the leaders something to think about.
Didn't quite pan out that way. Didn't hit a very good putt at the last. Overall, it's been a positive.
Q. You made a huge dent in Patrick Reed's lead in The Race to Dubai. How excited about the battle to win that record-winning eighth title?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm excited. I have three events until the end of my DP World Tour season. I'm not sure what Patrick's schedule looks like coming up, but I feel like I have enough opportunities.
And I'm going back to-golf course in India that I played for the first time last year, so I'll know it a little bit better; and then going to Abu Dhabi and Dubai where I had a lot of success in my career. Excited for the opportunity, and it would be obviously amazing to match Monty's record.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports