Rory McIlroy in contention at $4M event after | Golf News

Rory McIlroy fired an opening spherical of 69 to put himself in strong contention after day one of the DP World India Championship.

Competing for the first time since spearheading Europe’s triumphant Ryder Cup marketing campaign on American turf, McIlroy intentionally left his driver out of his bag this week and completed his spherical with six birdies and three bogeys, sitting 5 strokes behind pacesetter Shane Lowry.

The inaugural championship options a huge $4 million prize purse and has drawn some of Europe’s elite gamers, including Ryder Cup heroes Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, and McIlroy himself.

Delhi golf membership presents a distinctive check for opponents this week, with quite a few gamers selecting to abandon their drivers due to the demanding tee photographs that prioritize precision over energy, and McIlroy found the problem exceeded his expectations.

“You’re just really trying to be as conservative as possible off the tee and then you’re trying to pick off birdies on the par-fives and then maybe pick up a couple more, but it’s a tricky golf course,” said the five-time major winner.

“I thought some of the hole locations early on were really tricky. You play a practice round or a pro-am, the pins are all in the middle of the green, and then you get to tournament day and they start to tuck them away a little bit, and of course definitely played a little tougher than I expected.”

In his first public look since the Ryder Cup last month, McIlroy expressed his disappointment that the event is being overshadowed by unfavorable fan conduct somewhat than Europe’s triumphant victory.

“The unfortunate thing is people aren’t remembering that and they are remembering the week for the wrong reason,” said the world No. 2.

“I would like to shift the narrative and focus on how good the European team were and how proud I was to be part of that team to win an away Ryder Cup.

“I’ve been following the kind of narrative popping out of the Ryder Cup just like everybody else,” he said.

“But sadly, I feel it takes away from what we centered on, which is what an unbelievable efficiency it was by the European crew.”