Rory McIlroy made his return to competitive action at the DP World India Championship, but the Northern Irishman made a bold decision before his opening round
10:07, 17 Oct 2025Updated 10:07, 17 Oct 2025
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy gestures during a media briefing for the DP World India Championship 2025 golf tournament in New Delhi on October 15, 2025. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy deliberately left his driver in the locker room for the opening round of the DP World India Championship – and he’d already made that call before hitting the pillow the previous evening.
Following his heroics in leading Team Europe to a thrilling Ryder Cup triumph over the United States at Bethpage Black, where he and wife Erica endured vile abuse, McIlroy returned to competitive golf.
He’s competing in the DP World Tour event at Delhi Golf Club.
After 18 holes, McIlroy sits tied-17th on three-under whilst his Ryder Cup teammate and mate Shane Lowry tops the leaderboard on eight-under.
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But the Northern Irishman took the brave step of ditching his driver when he headed out with his bag earlier today.
The gamble appeared to pay off initially, with McIlroy carding six birdies around the cramped Delhi Golf Club layout.
Three late bogeys ultimately damaged his opening effort, though he remained chuffed with his contentious club selection.
NEW DELHI, INDIA – OCTOBER 16: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland lines up his putt on hole 11 on day one of the DP World India Championship 2025 at Delhi Golf Club on October 16, 2025 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Jason Butler/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
“Dog (driver) was out of the bag, probably asleep in the locker,” McIlroy revealed. “I was sort of thinking about it last night before I went to bed.
“Sometimes if you’re really conservative off a par-five today, you might have like a five-wood into the green, but I’m never going to hit driver. So I just thought I’ve got to two-iron, three-iron, four-iron all the way through, and then I’ve got a five-wood just in case I need to hit it for an approach shot on a par five.
“But I just don’t see any hole out there that I have to hit it more than say 260, 270 (yards) off the tee. It’s pretty tricky.
“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.”
NEW DELHI, INDIA – OCTOBER 16: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks on from the 12th green on day one of the DP World India Championship 2025 at Delhi Golf Club on October 16, 2025 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
McIlroy got off to a flying start, executing a delicate chip from the fringe on his opening hole – the 10th.
However, the world No. 2 ran into trouble on the subsequent hole, where he three-putted before struggling to get up and down as McIlroy recorded consecutive bogeys.
Nevertheless, the Masters champion secured birdies on both par-fives to reach the turn at one-under.
He claimed three additional shots over the following seven holes but surrendered a shot on the eighth to finish with an opening-round 69.
Lowry sits at the summit, wrapping up with a birdie to establish a one-shot advantage over Keita Nakajima.
Lowry was grouped with Europe captain Luke Donald and Tommy Fleetwood for the opening round, and posted a flawless 64 in Delhi.
The second round of the DP World India Championship takes place on Friday, Oct. 17.
