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Rory McIlroy, sans driver, shoots opening 69 at India event

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.

Frustrated Jon Rahm gets mad at marshal, shoots over par at Spanish Open

MADRID — Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry struggled in their return to action after helping Europe win the Ryder Cup, with Rahm briefly arguing with a marshal who tried to cheer him up during the Spanish Open on Thursday.

After his drive found the left rough on the par-4 eighth hole, Rahm saw his lie and started complaining: “What a day, what a day,†he said, followed by an expletive.

The marshal who marked his ball said “It’s OK,†and Rahm immediately looked at him and said: “Don’t tell me it’s OK, please. Thank you.â€

The marshal apologized as he walked away, while Rahm continued complaining: “It’s not OK.â€

Rahm made a par on the hole, but then bogeyed the next — his last of the day — to finish with a round of 1-over 72. He holed a bunker shot for an eagle on the par-5 14th, but his round included only one birdie and four bogeys.

Rahm played in the same group as Lowry, who made the clinching Ryder Cup putt for the Europeans in New York last month, when the raucous home crowd tormented the European players from the start. Rahm said while in Madrid that the Ryder Cup was the toughest week mentally of his career.

Lowry shot a 4-over 75 in his opening round at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. The Irishman had six bogeys and two birdies.

The clubhouse leaders were Englishman Marco Penge and Frenchman Frederic Lacroix, who shot rounds of 5-under 66.

Rahm is trying to win a record fourth Spanish Open title and surpass Seve Ballesteros as the tournament’s most successful golfer since the creation of the European tour in 1972. Rahm is making his seventh appearance in Madrid, with his victories coming in 2018, 2019 and 2022. He was runner-up to fellow Spaniard Ãngel Hidalgo in a playoff last year.

Ballesteros won the last of his 50 titles on the European tour at the Spanish Open in 1995.

It is the first time the tournament offers an automatic spot in next year’s Masters to the winner. The top finisher not otherwise qualified will also gain entry into The Open.

World No. 1 tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, also a Spaniard, was among those following Rahm in Thursday’s opening round in Madrid.

Golf

Arpichaya Yubol shoots 8-under 64, leads LPGA Shanghai by 1

SHANGHAI — Arpichaya Yubol shot a bogey-free 8-under 64 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA’s Shanghai tournament.

The Thai player, whose career-best round is a 61, had four birdies on each of the front and back nines at the Qizhong Garden Golf Club.

Minjee Lee, who won the Women’s PGA Championship in June for her third major title, was in a group of five a stroke behind. Jenny Shin, Jenny Bae, Jeeno Thitikul and Ina Yoon also shot 65s.

Lee said she navigated the difficult bumpy greens at Qizhong the best she could with her broomstick-style putter. Most of the greens are brown and patchy due to the extreme heat and humidity of Shanghai.

“I feel like with how the greens are, the conditions, I managed pretty well to make, what, seven birdies, so it was nice day for me,” Lee said.

Ashleigh Buhai, the 2022 Women’s British Open champion, shot 68. Defending champion Ruoning Yin had a 71.

The Shanghai event is the first of five tournaments in Asia. There’s two weeks in South Korea, including the International Crown team event, and tournaments in Malaysia and Japan.

Last week, Youmin Hwang extended the incredible streak on the LPGA Tour of having different winners at each of the 25 official tournaments this year. Hwang was the sixth player from South Korea to win on tour this year.

Sponsor’s invite shoots 62 to take midway lead at LPGA’s Lotte Championship

HONOLULU — Youmin Hwang played in the final group off the first tee Thursday in the second round of the Lotte Championship. She’ll do it again Friday after shooting a 10-under 62, the best round in the four years the tournament has been played at Hoakalei Country Club.

Hwang opened eagle-birdie, dropped a stroke on the fourth and had eight more birdies to get to 15-under 129 and open a three-stroke lead with two rounds left. Playing on a sponsor invitation, the 22-year-old South Korean player has two victories on the Korean LPGA.

“First of all, I broke my life-best score,†Hwang said. “At the same time, I broke the course record, so I feel very good.â€

Hwang matched the tournament record of 62 set by Lizette Salas in the 2013 final round and Cristie Kerr in the 2017 third round, both at Ko Olina Golf Course.

“I feel very different about the course, first, especially the grass type,†Hwang said. “It’s very different to Korea and play in Korea LPGA.â€

First-round leader Akie Iwai of Japan followed her opening 64 with a 68 in the afternoon session to join American Jessica Porvasnik (65) at 12 under.

“Feel like little difference, specific on the green,†Iwai said. “Getting hard to see the line.â€

Porvasnik played in the first group of the day of the first tee. She’s a 30-year-old LPGA Tour rookie after finishing fourth last year in the Epson Tour standings.

“I just hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of great looks, and made a few of those,†said Porvasnik, a former Ohio State player.

Iwai played in a group with twin sister Chisato, who was 8 under after a 66. The 23-year-old Japanese sisters have each won this year as tour rookies. Chisato broke through at Mayakoba in Mexico in May, and Akie won the Portland Classic in August.

Nasa Hataoka of Japan and Gabriela Ruffels of Australia each shot 69 to get to 10 under.

Second-ranked Nelly Korda was 8 under after a 67 in the morning.

“The main difference between today and yesterday was just the putts dropped,†Korda said. “It was a little gustier out there today versus yesterday, so it was fun to play in, kind of show my creative side.â€

Coming off a seven-victory season, Korda hasn’t won this year and has lost her No. 1 ranking to Jeeno Thitikul. The tour has had a different winner in all 24 of its official tournaments this year.

Charley Hull, playing alongside Korda, was 7 under after a 68. Hull won the Kroger Queen City Championship three weeks ago in Ohio after Thitikul four-putted the final hole.

“Just played pretty solid golf,†Henderson said. “I found the greens kind of a bit slow, so kind of hard to get used to the pace because you just feel like you have to bash the putts.â€

Brooke Henderson, the 2018 and 2019 winner at Ko Olina, was 4 under after her second 70.

Defending champion A Lim Kim was 4 under after a 74.

After the event, the LPGA heads to Asia for tournaments five straight weeks in Shanghai, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan.

Akie Iwai leads LPGA event in Hawaii; Nelly Korda birdies first three holes, shoots 69

HONOLULU — Akie Iwai shot an 8-under 64 in calm morning conditions Wednesday at Hoakalei Country Club to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Lotte Championship.

She played alongside twin sister Chisato.

“It was fun,†Akie said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, too.â€

The 23-year-old Japanese sisters have each won this year as tour rookies. Chisato broke through at Mayakoba in Mexico in May, and Akie won the Portland Classic in August.

On Wednesday, Akie birdied three of the first four holes. Then, after making six birdies in a nine-hole span, she closed with a bogey on the par-3 ninth. Chisati opened with a 70.

Fellow Japanese player Nasa Hataoka was a stroke at back at 65 with Gabriela Ruffels of Australia and Peiyun Chien of Taiwan.

“We played at 7:30 this morning and the wind wasn’t up,†Ruffels said. “I feel like the defense of this golf course is the wind, so having an afternoon tee time tomorrow, I feel like it’s going to be a bit trickier and it might be tougher to shoot a lower number.â€

Defending champion A Lim Kim of South Korea had the best round of the afternoon session, making four straight birdies on the back nine in a 66. Thai players Patty Tavatanakit and Pornanong Phatlum shot 66 in the morning.

Nelly Korda opened with a 69 in the afternoon, birdieing the first three holes, then offsetting two bogeys with two birdies the rest of the way.

“A little bit of an up-and-down round, but overall, happy to get it in at 3 under par,†Korda said. “Definitely have a long way to go to get in contention.â€

Coming off a seven-victory season, she hasn’t won this year and has lost her No. 1 ranking to Jeeno Thitikul. The tour has had a different winner in all 24 of its official tournaments this year.

Charley Hull matched playing partner Korda with a 69. Hull won the Kroger Queen City Championship three weeks ago in Ohio after Thitikul four-putted the final hole.

Brooke Henderson, the 2018 and 2019 winner at Ko Olina, shot 70 in the afternoon.

After the event, the LPGA heads to Asia for tournaments five straight weeks in Shanghai, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan.