Rory McIlroy admitted to finding the challenge posed by Delhi Golf Club “tougher than I expected” after a three-under 69 in the opening round at the DP World India Championship.
The Race to Dubai leader is the headline act in a stellar international field at the inaugural edition of the $4 million tournament as he makes the first start of his illustrious career in India.
Playing alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Viktor Hovland and two-time PGA TOUR winner Ben Griffin among the morning starters, big crowds followed the three-ball, with McIlroy mixing six birdies with three bogeys.
That left the World Number Two four shots adrift of early clubhouse leader Keita Nakajima of Japan, who won the Hero Indian Open last year and carded eight birdies and one dropped shot in a 65 on Thursday.
“It's pretty tricky,” said McIlroy. “You're just really trying to be as conservative as possible off the tee and then trying to pick off birdies on the par fives and maybe pick up a couple more. Yeah, it's a tricky golf course."
Rory McIlroy shoots an opening 69 at Delhi Golf Club 🇮🇳#DPWIC pic.twitter.com/OqAsqfZsWt
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 16, 2025
After an opening birdie at the tenth, McIlroy made back-to-back bogeys at the 11th and 12th, before birdieing the par five 14th and 18th to head into his back nine in the red.
With accuracy at a premium off the tee this week, the five-time Major champion set up birdies with good iron play from the fairway at the second and third.
He then rolled in a birdie putt from 27 feet at the par three seventh to get to four under but saw that shot was handed back after finding trouble off the tee at the long fifth.
“I thought some of the hole locations early on were really tricky," he added.
“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 it to today.”
Speaking in his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday, McIlroy suggested it was unlikely that he would use his driver this week and true to his word he opted against carrying it in his bag.
With the risk not worth the reward in his view, the 36-year-old is banking on a strategy which favours precision rather than power as he targets what would be a third DP World Tour victory this season after his wins at the Masters and the Amgen Irish Open.
“You just have to get the ball in the fairway,” he said. “The rough is unpredictable. You get a lot of fliers like I did the last two there.
“Maybe being a little bit less aggressive with approach shots and getting it on the right side of the pin.
“The greens are so grainy that uphill putts are very slow, but then if you get it above the hole, the downhill putts with the downgrain get very, very quick, so leaving yourself below the hole is pretty important, as well.”
