Rory McIlroy shot a one-over round of 72 in what he felt was a “rollercoaster” opening day at the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.
The Masters champion, who won this tournament in 2013, had an up and down round which included five birdies and six bogeys in tricky conditions with strong winds a feature.
His playing partners, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee both finished two-under for the day with a three-way tie for the lead on six-under between Australia’s Elvis Smylie, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz.
McIlroy started his round on the back nine with a birdie on the 10th, but bogeys at the following two holes set the tone for his round.
“Every time I made a birdie or two, I made a bogey or two,” he reflected.
“It felt like one of those days – what side of par am I going to finish on, under or over?
“It wasn’t terrible. I hit it in a couple of bad spots and had a couple of early three-putts as well.
“It’s tricky conditions and not like anyone is getting away out there, so I limited the damage and hope the conditions are a little bit better tomorrow.”
McIlroy admitted he was “caught out a couple of times” with the crosswinds as he tried to adjust to the conditions, but is happy to be back at the Australian Open for the first time since 2015.
The support he and his Australian playing partners enjoyed from early on Thursday morning is not lost on the career Grand Slam winner who acknowledged the tournament “means a little bit more” to the Australian public.
“It was amazing, I couldn’t believe how many people were there at seven o’clock when we teed off,” he said.
“There are events in golf that means a little bit more. I think everybody in Australia takes so much pride in their national Open and you can feel it, so it’s a pleasure to be here again and play there with Adam [Scott] and Min Woo [Lee], so I’m looking forward to getting out there with them again tomorrow.”