Portugal Colonial - McIlroy lets 'big dog' sleep to shoot three-under on Delhi debut

It was his first outing since inspiring the European team to Ryder Cup success at Bethpage Black three weeks ago, but on a vastly different layout to that encountered in New York.

The stunning Lodhi course at the historic Delhi Golf Club is a par-72 layout that is short by modern standards at less than 7,000 yards, but is studded with the ruins of ancient tombs dating back to the Mughal Empire.

Its narrow fairways are bordered by treacherous dense vegetation on a course that is a throwback to a bygone golfing era, rewarding accuracy rather than distance.

McIlroy was four strokes behind the early clubhouse leader Keita Nakajima of Japan, who carded eight birdies and just one dropped shot in a seven-under 65.

The five-time major champion, one of golf's longest hitters, said Delhi Golf Club was not the place to unleash 350-yard drives with his "big dog".

"Dog was out of the bag," said McIlroy. "Probably asleep in the locker.

"I'm never going to hit driver (here), so I just thought I've got two-iron, three-iron, four-iron all the way through.

"But I just don't see any hole out there to hit it more than say 260, 270 off the tee," added the Northern Irishman.

McIlroy had six birdies and three bogeys, falling foul of the thick rough on more than one occasion, and agreed he needed to be tidier over the next three rounds.

"You just have to get the ball in the fairway," he said.

"The rough is unpredictable. You get a lot of fliers."

Second after the morning rounds was Spain's Jorge Campillo on five-under 67, one shot ahead of a six-way tie on 68.

The inaugural $4 million tournament on what was formerly known as the European Tour features Ryder Cup winners Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Shane Lowry, plus PGA Tour stars such as Brian Harman and Ben Griffin.

A.Santos--PC