Rory McIlroy shot a 1-over-par 72 in the first round of the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, but the five-time major winner remained the headline act as huge crowds turned out to watch him. Among the early arrivals were John and Kayleen Potter, who drove over 100 kilometres from Jan Juc on Victoria's Surf Coast, waking at 5am to make the two-and-a-half-hour journey to the course.
The gallery following McIlroy, along with Australian stars Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott, was bursting at the seams despite their 7:05am tee time. Cameron Smith was seen sneaking an envious look at the crowd numbers as he waited for the trio to tee off. McIlroy expressed his amazement at the turnout, saying, 'Some crowds, for seven o'clock in the morning. It was great. A wonderful atmosphere to play in.'
McIlroy's round featured five birdies and six bogeys, with the Northern Irishman struggling to find rhythm in strong winds that he described as 'very tricky'. He also battled hay fever but remained optimistic, stating, 'I limited the damage and hopefully the conditions are a little better over the next few days and I can make a run.'
Scott and Lee both shot 2-under 69, with Scott calling the blustery conditions among the 'most challenging' he had encountered. Lee described playing alongside McIlroy as 'unbelievable', adding, 'He's one of the nicer blokes out here.' The trio are four shots behind leaders Elvis Smylie, Ryan Fox, and Carlos Ortiz.
Attracting McIlroy is a major coup for Australian Open organisers, with the reigning Masters champion locked in to play again next year at Kingston Heath. One-day passes for the weekend rounds have already sold out, highlighting the significant financial return on investment.
