Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the DP World India Championship in New Delhi. He was very deliberate about which clubs he partnered with. Her performance in the opening round on the Killearn course was nothing short of stellar, with a 3-under 69. Now he’s four shots behind clubhouse leader Keita Nakajima. McIlroy’s major tactical adjustment — protesting his driver — was a late thought, which he considered as late as the night before.
The 34-year-old decided early on to switch to a 2-iron, 3-iron and 4-iron setup for every aspect of his game. He understood that was the key part. Combined with the unique layout of the Delhi Golf Club, he admitted to finding it “pretty tricky,” despite the fact that the distance required off the tee was relatively modest. Plus, he had a 5-wood on deck for use on the par-5s’ second shots.
He had started his round with a chip-in birdie from the fringe on No. 10 to get his wheels going, as well. During the middle stretch of his round, Wallace would birdie both par-5s and make the turn in 1-under. He overpowered the next seven holes, making three additional birdies. This brought attention to his talent for capitalizing on scoring chances.
Even for McIlroy, it didn’t all go his way today. He had a lot of ups and downs on the 11th hole. After a third putt he couldn’t recover from, he made consecutive bogeys. An ugly 522-yard eighth hole was the last thing the golfer needed, adding yet another bogey and eradicating all the expected momentum.
“Dog [driver] was out of the bag, probably asleep in the locker. I was sort of thinking about it last night before I went to bed,” – Rory McIlroy
After his first round, McIlroy echoed the importance of being careful off the tee. He underscored the need to focus on making birdies, especially on the four par-5 holes. His precise strategy and timing allowed him to exploit a treacherous track. This experience will certainly show him where to improve as he looks to continue advancing deep into the tournament.
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