Browsing: Rory

For younger football fans, Rory Delap is probably more famous as the father of Chelsea striker Liam Delap, but ask any fan of a certain age about him and you’ll get a very different answer.

That’s because father Rory was the man who turned the humble throw-in from a functional part of the game to a deadly set-piece. If for whatever reason you don’t believe us, then we challenge you to find another footballer with a longer ‘throw-ins’ section on their Wikipedia page than the 941-word opus that Delap’s page has at the time of writing.

It was during his five-and-a-half-year spell at Stoke City that Delap hit the mainstream, but this weapon was a long time in the making.

“When I was playing for Carlisle’s youth team,” he tells FourFourTwo. “I used it at every club during my career but in different ways – at Stoke it only became notorious because we had eight or nine players who were 6ft 4in and very brave.

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At first when I heard Rory McIlroy was considering leaving driver in his locker for this week’s DP World India Championship I thought he was speaking figuratively. Leaving it in his locker as in not using it much. But then when he showed up for his first-round tee time it turned out that he had very literally taken driver out of his bag. Second round? Same thing. And it makes sense, when you hear him explain it. But we’ve also never seen this from Rory before. So let’s talk through why this is interesting.

(Let’s talk through some other stuff, too.)

1. Rory has never done this before.

He first teased it in his pre-tournament press conference.

“I’d say the next time I hit my driver will be in Abu Dhabi,” he joked, referring to his next tournament start. But in fact it wasn’t a joke. “I don’t think I’ll hit a driver this week. I just don’t feel like the risk is worth the reward. I’d rather leave myself two or three clubs back and hit a 7-iron into a par-4 instead of hitting a wedge, where if you just get it off-line here, the ball is gone. You’re hitting it into jungle and you’re not going to be able to get it out. You can rack up a very big number very quickly.”

Then came his comments after the first round — his first professional round without his most famous club (and its trademark dog headcover).

“Dog was out of the bag, probably asleep in the locker,” he said. “Yeah, I was sort of thinking about it last night before I went to bed. Sometimes if you’re really conservative off a par-5, you might have like a 5-wood into the green, but I’m never going to hit driver, so I just thought I’ve got to go 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron all the way through, and then I’ve got a 5-wood just in case I need to hit it for an approach shot on a par-5. But I just don’t see any hole out there that I hit to hit it more than say 260, 270 off the tee.”

2. My buddy has, though.

I have a close pal who has taken driver out of the bag just because he knows that if it’s in there, at some point he will be tempted to hit it, he will then drive the ball out of play and he will start having a bad time. McIlroy is basically doing the same thing. He just happens to hit his long irons about 80-100 yards past my buddy, who’s a 20 handicap.

3. Then again, he’s never done any of this before.

This is McIlroy’s first time in India and it’s one of the higher-profile tournaments in the nation’s golfing history. It seems like a win-win from each side; McIlroy has for multiple years expressed his interest in playing here and he continues to find joy in new golf tournaments around the world. And because the DP World Tour has a more lenient policy around appearance fees, it’s safe to assume that McIlroy and his high-profile peers are being well-compensated for their time this week.

4. The numbers tell a fascinating story

Through two rounds the average driving distance for the India Championship is just over 265 yards on its measured holes. That is wild when you consider the PGA Tour’s average driving distance is 303.3 yards. McIlroy’s no-driver strategy still has him in the top half, averaging 270.25 yards. But that’s more than 50 yards behind his 323-yard average. There’s a wide range in strategies, though: Thriston Lawrence of South Africa went bombs away en route to a 308-yard average through two rounds, with the average-length Brian Harman just behind him at 299.5 yards a pop.

As for McIlroy’s accuracy? He has hit 75 percent of his fairways, good for T17 in the field and miles ahead of his 51.2 percent PGA Tour average. The tradeoff is pretty clear.

5. The visuals do, too.

If you spend any time watching the India Championship on TV (and I recommend it, particularly if you live in the U.S. and you’re an insomniac) you’ll quickly see why these guys are laying so far back — the course is in the middle of New Delhi, the second-most-populous city in the world, but it’s also essentially cut into a jungle. The corridors are narrow and missing spells doom.

6. For that matter, the sounds tell a fascinating story.

You can hear sounds of the city come through on every minute of the broadcast — and even on the fun social clips the DP World Tour has been posting. We often hear about how courses are in major cities when in fact they’re on the quiet outskirts of quiet suburbs, but not here! It’s worth embracing the extent to which this course is in the mix.

7. He’s still losing to his straighter-hitting pals

It’s no shock that this course would set up well for McIlroy’s two closest friends on Tour, given their statistical profiles; Tommy Fleetwood (who leads at 12 under through 36 holes) has slightly below-average length but is one of the straightest drivers in the world and an incredible irons player. You could say something similar about Shane Lowry (11 under, T2) who is notably straight off the tee and notably elite with an iron in hand from the fairway.

“There’s a lot of holes where you’re not hitting much off the tee and you’re trying to get it in play and that’s why I think it suits me,” Lowry said. “There’s a lot of mid-irons out there which a strength of my game.”

8. This is the golf experiment we’ve been waiting for.

People in and around pro golf think and talk obsessively about distance. Whether pros hit it too far, whether golf courses are too short, what anybody can do about any of it. This week is certainly one example of how to de-emphasize distance as a skill; accuracy off the tee is essential to success, while driver has been effectively outlawed. And the players seem tickled by the test.

“It’s great. We spoke about it quite a bit out there — it’s just such a unique challenge for all of us,” Fleetwood said. “I haven’t hit more than a 5-wood. The one hole where I could hit more is 18, but you get to that and you’re like, ‘Well, I haven’t hit one, and I don’t really feel that comfortable with it.’ It’s such a unique challenge, and the greens are firming out a little bit and the pins have been tricky.

“It’s been very, very enjoyable. It’s a test of patience when you’re not quite on it because like it’s one of those courses, you get a few of them where you feel — if you hit it good off the tee you’re going to have some short irons and wedges and feel like you’ve always got a chance to get it wrong. It’s such a waiting game. You’ve got to be very patient. It’s been a great test.”

9. It’s also a reminder for us.

I live in Seattle, where many courses present as bowling alleys. But I’m so conditioned to seeing the pros hit driver or 3-wood everywhere that I assume if they showed up here they’d do the same. This is evidence to the contrary. Even through analytics have steered pros towards a bomb-and-gauge style of play in recent years, there are limits to that strategy when courses become tight enough and misses become penal enough. So yeah — it’s okay to lay back off the tee if it means you’re going to keep it in play. Not much fun getting stuck in the jungle all day, anyway.

10. Sports rule.

I spent my Thursday night watching Joe Flacco trade punches with Aaron Rodgers in one of the more memorable regular-season matchups in recent NFL history — and then eventually flipped over to catch the sights, sounds and strategies of the India Championship. Sports remain the best thing going because they deliver the unexpected. Let’s go back to McIlroy’s pre-tournament press conference for the final word:

“I would say that deep down at its core, the essence of watching sport, it’s the realest reality show that we have. We don’t know the outcome. We don’t know what’s going to happen, and that’s amazing. There’s very little content on TV nowadays that can actually do that.”

Two more intriguing rounds in this latest episode.

Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.

Oct 17, 2025, 08:07 AM ET

NEW DELHI — Tommy Fleetwood kept up his strong finish to the season by shooting an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead at the halfway point of the DP World India Championship as Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy battled to stay in contention Friday.

Over the past two months, Fleetwood has won the Tour Championship for his first PGA Tour title — picking up $10 million as the FedEx Cup champion in the process — and been the top points scorer at the Ryder Cup retained by Team Europe.

Now the Englishman, up to No. 5 in the world rankings, is leading perhaps the most prestigious golf tournament ever to be staged in India after making eight birdies in a bogey-free second round to jump to 12-under par for the week.

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Fleetwood’s last birdie — from 8 feet at his last, No. 9 — left him clear of former Open champions Shane Lowry (69) and Brian Harman (65), who were tied for second place.

Fleetwood described the course at the tight, tree-lined Delhi Golf Club as a “unique challenge for all of us.”

“I haven’t hit more than a 5-wood,” he said. “It’s a test of patience. … If you hit it good off the tee, you’re going to have some short irons and wedges, and [you] feel like you’ve always got a chance to get it wrong. It’s such a waiting game.”

A further three shots back was Ben Griffin, a rookie for the Americans at the Ryder Cup, in a tie for seventh place at 8 under.

McIlroy, who again didn’t put his driver in his bag, had back-to-back bogeys early in his back nine but responded by making birdie at four of his final six holes to shoot a second straight 69. He was at 6 under, along with fellow European team member Viktor Hovland (67).

As the No. 2-ranked McIlroy walked off No. 18 at the tree-lined Delhi Golf Club, he removed his cap and shook hands with India cricket great Sachin Tendulkar, a special guest for the tournament, at the back of the green.

“It was a strong finish, got myself sort of back in the tournament. I need a strong start tomorrow,” McIlroy said.

Asked if he would be changing his strategy off the tee over the weekend to get more aggressive in a bid to chase down Fleetwood, McIlroy said: “I don’t think so. I think if I’m struggling to hit fairways with my 2-iron, I’m not going to hit it with my driver.

“Same strategy. Just have to hit it a little closer with my second shots and not miss as many putts.”

NEW DELHI — Tommy Fleetwood kept up his strong finish to the season by shooting 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead at the halfway point of the DP World India Championship as Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy battled to stay in contention on Friday.

Over the last two months, Fleetwood has won the Tour Championship for his first PGA Tour title — picking up $10 million as the FedExCup champion in the process — and been the top points scorer at the Ryder Cup won by Team Europe.

Now the Englishman — up to No. 5 in the world rankings — is leading perhaps the most prestigious golf tournament ever to be staged in India after making eight birdies in a bogey-free second round to jump to 12 under par for the week.

Fleetwood’s last birdie — from 8 feet at his last, No. 9 — left him clear of former Open champions Shane Lowry (69) and Brian Harman (65), who were tied for second place.

A further three shots back was Ben Griffin, a rookie for the Americans at the recent Ryder Cup, in a tie for seventh place on 8 under.

McIlroy had back-to-back bogeys early in his back nine but responded by making birdie at four of his final six holes to shoot a second straight 69 and was at 6 under, along with fellow European team member Viktor Hovland (67).

As No. 2-ranked McIlroy walked off No. 18 at the tree-lined Delhi Golf Club, he removed his cap and shook hands with India cricket great Sachin Tendulkar — a special guest for the tournament — at the back of the green.

Rory McIlroy’s priorities have shifted. At this week’s DP World India Championship, the impact of those changes is materializing.

When LIV Golf arrived on the scene three years ago, McIlroy took up the mantle of PGA Tour spokesperson. He was front and center defending the PGA Tour in its moment of need. He worked to try to reshape the PGA Tour with Signature Events and mandatory appearances. But when the Framework Agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV was announced, McIlroy shifted his focus. He resigned his board seat, skipped Signature Events and even ditched a FedEx Cup Playoff stop to focus on playing a more global schedule.

McIlroy hoped pro golf would come together and form a more global tour that would send the sport’s stars around the world, and not just from Florida to California with the occasional stop in the U.K. But he clearly understands that the fractured world of pro golf isn’t going to magically reunify any time soon, so he’s taking it upon himself to go to all corners of the globe. He’s focusing on national opens, from Canada to Ireland and Australia, and playing where he wants, when he wants.

That brings us to this week’s inaugural DP World India Championship, where McIlroy touched down in India for the first time in his career. Now, McIlroy isn’t doing this for free. He understands his value and is getting an appearance fee, as are Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Ben Griffin and Luke Donald. But it would be unfair to assume he’s doing it just for the money. McIlroy has pledged to start playing a more global schedule and is starting to back that up. He recently cited tennis superstar Roger Federer as an inspiration to start taking his talents to places that don’t normally see him tee it up.

“I think India has a wonderful culture,” McIlroy said Wednesday about his first time in India. “I think the people are unbelievably welcoming and hospitable and gentle. … Golf has become quite a big sport in this country, but hopefully I can help it become even bigger.

“I’d love more people to watch golf. That would be amazing,” McIlroy said later about his long-term hope for golf’s growth worldwide. “But I would be more interested in getting more people to play the game, and I think when people play the game, then they learn and they can acknowledge what golf is, what it represents, and the sort of etiquette and the values that you need to adhere to when you play the game.”

Regardless of appearance fees, the special thing about what’s taking place in India this week is that this event has never happened before. The event was created out of thin air to give a golf-loving country a groundbreaking new event. The sponsorship for this event from DP World included a $4 million prize fund and a relationship that was integral to getting McIlroy and others to show up in a country starved for golf. The downstream impact of people watching Rory McIlroy hit a golf ball, Roger Federer swing a tennis racket or Steph Curry shoot a basketball is unquantifiable.

On Thursday, during the first round of the DP World India Championship, the crowds around McIlroy and Viktor Hovland showed the impact an event like this can have.

There were similar scenes at DLF Golf and Country Club when Bryson DeChambeau competed in the International Series India in January.

“Educate, entertain, inspire are my main three principles of why I play the game of golf,” DeChambeau said in January of his decision to play in India. “I think this is an amazing opportunity for all of golf to come together and see what India can truly produce for the world. And it’s a growing economy, it’s a growing population that need golf. There’s a lot more to come, so that’s why I’m here.”

Raj Khosla, president of Delhi Golf Club, has said that the McIlroy-headlined tournament is a “landmark moment” for Indian golf. The hope is that this event will continue to attract global stars and elevate golf in the world’s most populous country.

The scenes on Thursday and at DLF in January show the impact the world’s best can have when they break new ground. Rope lines packed to the gills as fans try to get a glimpse of the golf stars that have parachuted in. Thousands of eyeballs transfixed on players many probably never thought would peg it in their country. The impact isn’t felt just by those outside the ropes.

“It’s something I have dreamt a lot of times, watching Rory, Tommy on TV and thinking one day that I want to be playing next to them,” home favorite Dhruv Sheoran, who shot four under in Round 1 to beat McIlroy by a shot, said. “It’s a dream come true in a way. I couldn’t sleep at night thinking that I’m going to be playing alongside them, so it’s really surreal to be playing here.”

For McIlroy, competing in places that don’t normally see him, or have never seen him in person, is something he plans to cement in his schedule. He’s still the PGA Tour’s needle, but his priorities are making a global shift as he focuses on a grander goal to bring golf to countries with untapped potential to become golfing hotbeds.

“I would say as time goes on, my schedule will get hopefully more international,” McIlroy said. “Because that’s what I’ve enjoyed doing. I’ve always said that. But I think over the last few years, I’ve enjoyed it even more. I’ve enjoyed the travel. I’ve enjoyed getting to play in front of people that I’ve never played in front of before.”

On Thursday, the scene spoke for itself.

If you watch Rory McIlroy on the range at any tour event, chances are that you’ll see him toting around a little green ball with him — and this week at the DP World India Championship was no different.

Early this week, a video of McIlroy using his trusty training aid, The Connector by Sure Golf, went viral on social media.

While some fans are already familiar with this tool, many are just discovering its benefits. So, let’s break down why this simple device is so effective.

What is it?

The Connector is a foam ball designed to promote proper arm and wrist positioning throughout the golf swing, and you can purchase your own at the link below.

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To use it, just place it between your forearms with the alignment rods facing up. As you make a few swings, focus on squeezing the ball just enough to keep it in place. You should quickly feel your upper body, core, and lower body syncing up almost immediately.

How it helps

In the video above, you can see McIlroy rehearsing with this tool, and it seems like he’s focusing on a few key positions in his swing: mid-backswing, top of the swing, and delivery.

With the Connector, he can work on all of these aspects of his swing at once. Let’s look at each and how this tool can help.

Mid-backswing

At this point in the swing, the goal is to keep the arms in front of the chest while the trail arm folds naturally. To get in this position, the arms need a bit of structure and the right amount of space. If they collapse or separate, this can drain power from the swing.

The Connector helps keep the arms in front of the chest and the forearms properly spaced, promoting a wide, structured backswing. This helps to cultivate power on the way back — loading the swing with a ton of speed that’s ready to fire on the way down.

Top of the swing

In position two, the Connector helps the arms stay connected and structured. By squeezing the device at the top of the swing, the arms won’t disconnect or drift away from the body — a common cause of improper sequencing in the downswing.

It also keeps the elbows close together and the arms in front of the chest, which is an optimal position to get in to shallow the club effectively — a cornerstone of McIlroy’s effortless power.

Delivery

During the delivery — right before impact — the arms should be extended out front and connected as everything rotates through the shot. But, if timing gets off or the arms get stuck too far inside, players often end up casting the club or extending early. Using the Connector helps keep everything in a compact position that’s working together in proper sequence, making it easier to “slot” the club for a powerful delivery at impact.

It’s easy to see why this training aid has earned a permanent spot in McIlroy’s range routine. Whether you’re building better structure, working on sequencing, or just trying to clean things up, The Connector is a simple tool that delivers meaningful feedback — and it’s one the pros trust.

Rory McIlroy didn’t just keep the headcover on his driver on Thursday at Delhi Golf Club, he left the big stick out of the bag altogether.

“Dog was out of the bag, probably asleep in the locker,†McIlroy said after opening the DP World India Championship in 3-under 69.

“I was sort of thinking about it last night before I went to bed,†said McIlroy, who carried just one wood, a 5-wood. “Well, sometimes if you’re really conservative off a par-5 today, you might have like a 5-wood into the green, but I’m never going to hit driver, so I just thought I’ve got to 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron all the way through, and then I’ve got a 5-wood just in case I need to hit it for an approach shot on a par-5. But I just don’t see any hole out there that I hit to hit it more than say 260, 270 off the tee.â€

The conservative decision paid off, at least in terms of accuracy off the tee. McIlroy hit 78.6 percent of his fairways, ranking ninth in the field. He averaged 274.5 yards off the tee, still 38th best. He only played the par-5s in 1 under, however, bogeying the par-5 eighth to offset one of the two other par-5 birdies he carded on the day.

“I thought some of the hole locations early on were really tricky,†McIlroy said. “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.â€

McIlroy’s opening round left him five shots back of pal Shane Lowry and in a share of 17th. He expected a similar gameplan on Friday.

“You just have to get the ball in the fairway,†McIlroy said. “The rough is unpredictable. You get a lot of fliers like I did the last two there. Yeah, 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.â€

NEW DELHI — Shane Lowry ran off five straight birdies on the back nine and then got up-and-down for birdie on the 18th hole Thursday for an 8-under 64, giving him a one-shot lead over Keita Nakajima in the DP World India Championship.

Rory McIlroy decided to leave driver out of his golf bag at tight, tree-lined Delhi Golf Club. He had a collection of bogeys and birdies and settled on a 69 in the inaugural tournament.

“Dog was out of the bag, probably asleep in the locker,†McIlroy said. His bag featured a 3-wood and 5-wood, the latter in case he needed more height for longer shots into par 5s.

That didn’t help him on his 17th hole, the par-5 eighth, when he pulled his tee shot into the trees, advanced it only about 15 yards into the rough made a bogey.

Lowry returned from his Ryder Cup heroics at the Spanish Open last week by missing the cut. Another week into the closing stretch of the season seemed to suit him much better, particularly his iron play and putter.

Starting on the 11th, his five birdie putts were all in about the 10-foot range.

“I putted nicely today. I played nice,†Lowry said. “You know, 64 is a really nice score. It’s not that hard when you are out there but when you start missing fairways it becomes quite tricky.â€

Lowry, who holed the putt that assured Europe would keep the Ryder Cup, played alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, who each shot 68.

There was plenty of reminiscing about their stellar performance before an unruly New York crowd at Bethpage Black. Lowry said one part of Delhi Golf Club went along the streets and they could hear the horns of the nearby cars.

“It was not as off-putting as the Bethpage crowd,†Lowry said.

Nakajima also had five straight birdies in the middle of his round, starting on No. 18 and then four straight to begin the front nine. This is an important time of the year for the former world No. 1 amateur as he tries to get into the top 10 of European tour players who would be granted PGA Tour cards for 2026.

Ben Griffin, who made his Ryder Cup debut for the U.S. team, opened with a 68 alongside another American, Michael Kim, who was late arriving in India because of visa issues. Kim already has won on the European tour this year at the French Open.

This start a big stretch run for McIlroy at the end of the year, as he also plans to play the Abu Dhabi Championship and DP World Tour Championship, along with the Australian Open.

There were mumblings all week. Given the tight, tree-lined fairways at Delhi GC, players were expecting to keep their drivers in their bags for most of the 2025 DP World India Championship.

But Rory McIlroy took it one step further. In Thursday’s opening round, the five-time major champion didn’t even carry his driver.

The strategy paid off with a solid start, though not as solid as one of his European Ryder Cup teammates.

Why Rory McIlroy didn’t carry driver at India Championship

The signs were clear ahead of the tournament, when McIlroy first revealed the unusual strategy he was mulling for the week.

“I’d say that the next time I hit my driver will be in Abu Dhabi,” McIlory joked Wednesday. “I don’t think I’ll hit a driver this week. I just don’t feel like the risk is worth the reward. I’d rather leave myself two or three clubs back and hit a 7-iron into a par-4 instead of hitting a wedge where if you just get it off-line here and the ball is gone. You’re hitting it into jungle and you’re not going to be able to get it out. You can rack up a very big number very quickly.”

Rory McIlroy’s superpower about to meet its match

By:

Alan Bastable

And he wasn’t alone. Plenty of other star pros laid out similar plans due to the tough test that is Delhi GC, which you can read all about here.

During McIlroy’s final practice round, his driver could be seen in his golf bag carried by caddie Harry Diamond.

But when McIlroy finally began his round on Thursday, his driver, along with its famed St. Bernard dog headcover, was nowhere to be seen.

After his round, McIlroy confirmed the news with a joke in his post-round chat with reporters.

“Dog was out of the bag, probably asleep in the locker,” McIlroy said.

He continued by explaining that in a final late-night strategy session, he realized that if he wasn’t going to hit his driver, he might as well leave it at home and replace it with something he could use. A 2-iron and 5-wood appeared to be his choices.

“I was sort of thinking about it last night before I went to bed,” McIlroy began. “Well, sometimes if you’re really conservative off a par-5 today, you might have like a 5-wood into the green, but I’m never going to hit driver, so I just thought I’ve got 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron all the way through, and then I’ve got a 5-wood just in case I need to hit it for an approach shot on a par-5. But I just don’t see any hole out there that I hit to hit it more than say 260, 270 off the tee.”

Given that he ranked second in driving distance on the PGA Tour in 2025 with a 323-yard average, his driver, often his biggest weapon, was just too much club.

Shane Lowry, Ryder Cup players shine in Round 1 at India Championship

It’s hard to fault McIlroy’s strategy given his results in the opening round. The reigning Masters champion shot a three-under 69 on the difficult course, carding six birdies and three bogeys.

Despite the good start, McIlroy was outdone by multiple other players involved in the 2025 Ryder Cup.

‘Wrong reason’: Rory McIlroy reveals ‘unfortunate’ part of Ryder Cup aftermath

By:

Kevin Cunningham

None more so than European teammate Shane Lowry. Lowry, who secured one of the crucial final half points to help Europe win at Bethpage Black, fired an eight-under 64 to take a one-shot lead.

Lowry’s round came together on the back nine, where he made five-straight birdies from holes 11-15 and then birdied the last for a 30.

Another European Ryder Cup star, FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood, is one ahead of McIlroy after shooting 68 in Round 1. He finds himself tied with European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

They’re among a large group tied for seventh at four under that includes the sole player in the field representing the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team: Ben Griffin.

Oct 16, 2025, 07:12 AM ET

Rory McIlroy’s decision to leave the driver in his locker did not affect his ability to score as he carded six birdies around the narrow Delhi Golf Club but was let down by three bogeys in the opening round of the DP World India Championship.

The world No. 2 got off to an ideal start by chipping in from the fringe at his first hole, the 10th, but his difficulties began at No. 11, where he three-putted, before he failed to get up and down for back-to-back bogeys.

Despite the absence of the longest club in his bag, McIlroy had no problems birdieing the two par-5s to make the turn at 1 under, and he picked up three more shots over the next seven holes.

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However, he bogeyed the 522-yard eighth to finish with a 3-under 69, four behind clubhouse leader Keita Nakajima.

“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,” McIlroy said of his club selection in his postround interview. “Sometimes if you’re really conservative off a par-5 today, you might have like a 5-wood into the green, but I’m never going to hit driver. So I just thought I’ve got to 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron all the way through, and then I’ve got a 5-wood just in case I need to hit it for an approach shot on a par-5.”

McIlroy said the course was still “pretty tricky” despite the limited length needed off the tee.

“You’re just really trying to be as conservative as possible off the tee and then trying to pick off birdies on the par-5s and maybe pick up a couple more,” he said.