‘Not the best course in Melbourne’: Rory McIlroy birdies at Royal Melbourne
Australian golf fans love Rory McIlroy, but the Irishman doesn’t seem to like Royal Melbourne, with the global superstar saying the famous course isn’t even the best in the city.
The world No. 2 was overwhelmed by a large crowd during the pro-am in a sign of things to come this weekend, with the Australian Open selling out for the first time in years.
McIlroy will tee off in Thursday’s first round against Australian great Adam Scott, whom he beat to win the title in 2013, and another draw player, Min Woo Lee.
The sport’s latest Grand Slam winner praised the event’s return from bisexuality to its traditional format and its location on Victoria’s sand belt.
But McIlroy, who played five holes at five different Melbourne courses on Monday, wasn’t too enthusiastic about Royal Melbourne, which he rated higher than nearby Kingston Heath.
“I don’t want members to be serious about it, but it’s probably not the best course in Melbourne,” said McIlroy, who won the Masters this year and became the sixth man to achieve a career grand slam.
He at least added that the course remains among the top 10 in the world and said the course could become “funky” on Wednesday due to northerly winds.
“I didn’t anticipate how much touch typing there would be, and it took a little while to figure it out, and it certainly wasn’t easy.
“I also think it’s probably better to play in a southerly wind than in a northerly wind…that may not be a fair reflection of golf courses played in these winds.
“It would be nice to play in a few other directions, but it’s obviously an amazing golf course and I can’t wait to get out there and compete this week.”
The 36-year-old, who last played at the Australian Open in 2015, often points to his thrilling victory over Scott at Royal Sydney two years ago as a turning point in his career.
“I think about that game a lot and what it means,” McIlroy said.
“I feel like I’m at a crossroads at that point in my career…I was really struggling in 2013 and I do think that win at the end of the year was the catalyst for what happened in 2014 and I would say 2014, like 2025, were the best two years of my career,” he said.
McIlroy believes the 121-year-old tournament should be held for a week by itself rather than clashing with Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas and another event in South Africa.
He said there was a “lack” of top-level competition in Australia.
“Australia has always been a very important part of my golf life and golf journey, dating back to playing in the Australian Open as an amateur in 2005 and 2006.
“I just think the quality of golf here, the quality of players coming from here.
“You look at an event like the Adelaide LIV (golf) and the people who attend it and how excited they are about some of the top players in the world playing here, there’s a feeling there’s a lack of top golf in this country.
“A market like this with amazing fans and history probably deserves the consistency of big-name players and big events.
“Especially because of the history, the tradition, this event deserves to be a stand-alone event, a separate week, and hopefully one day they can put together a schedule that elevates the biggest, best event in the world, the oldest, most legacy event.”
The star trio kicks off at 7:05am AEDT, followed by Cameron Smith, who joins fellow Australian Elvis Smylie and 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett.
