Q. Talk about the start to the week.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, good start. I think the guys that teed off a little later got a little bit of a reprieve. It was still breezy, but not quite as tough as the guys got it this morning. Yeah, couple under was a good start.
Q. What was the most difficult part of dealing with it, the greens, wind, what was it?
RORY McILROY: I think just crosswinds. The fairways are quite narrow and when you miss them you're in that thick rough, and it just, you lose all control of your golf ball from there and you're just hoping for a good lie to get it up somewhere near the green. I think the crosswinds were the most difficult part today.
Q. We saw this the Pebble and saw it some today, too. Obviously the fact that you and Shane play together well, it seems like, a lot of times. How would you describe that comfort out there with him?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think we both have to make a conscious effort to not make it too comfortable as well. It's like if you're too relaxed and you're too -- that's not a good thing either. So we try to treat it as if it's just any other round. I certainly talk to him more than I talk to some other guys out there, but you still have to try to concentrate, and especially on a day like today when it was so tough.
Q. Do you like when leading into a big tournament like THE PLAYERS next week, obviously this is a big event, but just leading with a hard test into another test, do you like that kind of back-to-back?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think so. It's not, I think as well, it's a hard test, but it's not like if you get the Scottish Open and its just brutal weather for four days, and it's not just mentally exhausting, it's physically exhausting, I think that's not great. With like this, where it's pretty much perfect weather, a little bit breezy, but it's more of a mental challenge. So I think doing this a few weeks in a row isn't that hard.
Q. A comfort level, speaking to that, you play well here, tend to, what do you like about the course and what kind of confidence do you take?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think it demands good ball striking. You have to really control, especially today, control your flight and distance very well with your irons. That's something that I've been working on quite a lot and feel like I'm pretty good at that. I think that's the big thing. It's not, there's not a ton of drivers out there, you can get away with being a little more conservative off the tee. But it's a great second-shot golf course and I feel like that's why I've excelled here.
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