Rory McIlroy could not hide his emotions or his delight after another victory on the PGA Tour. The Players Championship is one of the most important tournaments, and Rory McIlroy knew the stakes of this tournament. Although he could have finished the job much earlier, the Northern Irishman played the playoffs yesterday, and won against J.J. Spaun.
Rory stressed that he feels great, believing that he is a better player than he was.
“I feel like I’m a better player now than I ever have been, and it’s nice to see the fruits of my labour paying off.
“I’ve worked really hard. I feel like I’m a way more complete player than I was a few years ago. I feel like I can play in all conditions and anything that comes my way. Really happy that I was able to get it done.”- he said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
Rory was nervous
McIlroy explained that he felt very nervous as he stood on the 16th hole (the first of the playoff), saying that it was the most nervous situation he had been in for a long time. He revealed that he woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep before the playoff.
This great golfer stressed that this nervousness helped him, as he was able to hit the necessary shots while his stomach was upset, his legs were a little unsteady, and his heart rate was racing. Rory said that experiencing that momentary stress and being able to make the key shots was useful because it would help him deal with similar situations in future tournaments.
The 35-year-old is aware that being patient is the key to success, with the Masters as the biggest challenge for him.
“It’s a long career. You have to stay incredibly patient. Yeah, I would say that some of those losses have helped me learn what to do when I’m in those positions again.”
Tennis World USA