Rory McIlroy leaves driver in locker but still impresses as Shane Lowry sets the pace at DP World India Championship

Rory McIlroy left his driver in the locker but still managed to card a three under-par 69 in the opening round of the DP World India Championship on Thursday

Rory McIlroy’s choice to keep his driver in the locker room didn’t hamper his scoring ability as he managed six birdies around the tight Delhi Golf Club, though three bogeys undermined his opening round at the DP World India Championship.

The world number two made a perfect start by chipping in from the fringe at his opening hole, the 10th, but trouble struck at the following hole where he three-putted before failing to get up and down for consecutive bogeys.

Even without the longest club in his arsenal, McIlroy had little trouble birdieing both par fives to reach the turn at one under, adding three more shots across the subsequent seven holes.

Nevertheless, he dropped a shot at the 522-yard eighth to close with a three-under 69, trailing clubhouse leader Keita Nakajima by four strokes.

“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 explained his club selection during his post-round interview.

“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.”

McIlroy’s friend and Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry leads the way after the first round with the Offaly native finishing with a birdie on 18 to take the outright lead on eight under-par.

Lowry, who was paired with Europe captain Luke Donald and Tommy Fleetwood in the first round, carded a bogey-free 64 on day one in Delhi.

He leads by one shot from Japan’s Keita Nakajima, who had set the early pace with a 65 in the morning with Donald and Fleetwood sitting four back on four under-par.