BECOME A HECK OF A HIBEE!
Mcilroy effectively fell out of victory contention after carding a three-underpar 68 on moving day at the Renaissance club.
Yet he remains confident he is playing solid golf, in spite of the lack of a test offered by the course set- up in East Lothian.
“I would have liked to have seen it a little more difficult, but it’s tough,” he said.
“I said yesterday, the European Tour don’t really know how to set it up because they’ve not been here before, so they’ve kept the green speeds very slow.
“I bumped into Lloyd Saltman last night at dinner, I hadn’t seen him in a long time. He’s a member here, and I was saying to him that week-in, week-out, short-siding yourself is a no-no. You don’t short-side yourself.
“Here, it’s almost as if you can’t shortside yourself as the greens are so slow.
“If the greens were even a foot quicker, it would make a world of difference.
“It doesn’t challenge you enough whenever you miss second shots.”
He added:“i think my game is good. I’m driving the ball well for the most part, I think my iron play is as good as it’s been in a long time. That’s a continuation of what I’ve seen this year, and been working on.
“I’ll always play better the week after playing competitively. I feel that’s how my game gets into good shape, so I’ve achieved what I wanted to this week.
“The thing I’m happy about is that Belfast City airport closes at 9pm tomorrow night, so I should get in before they close. I’ll at least get an extra night in my own bed.”