Rory McIlroy failed another inspection" - Fans react to the Northern Irishman playing without his driver in India

Rory McIlroy surprised fans by leaving his driver out of the bag for the opening round of the DP World India Championship. Playing at Delhi Golf Club, one of the narrowest courses on the circuit, the Northern Irishman relied on irons and fairway woods instead, finishing with a 3-under 69.

After the round, Rory McIlroy explained his decision, saying the course layout simply did not require a driver.

"Dog was out of the bag, probably asleep in the locker," McIlroy said. "If you're really conservative off a par-5 today, you might have like a 5-wood into the green, but I'm never going to hit driver, so I just thought I've got to 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron all the way through, and then I've got a 5-wood just in case I need to hit it for an approach shot on a par-5. But I just don't see any hole out there that I hit to hit it more than say 260, 270 off the tee."

Golf page Flushing It posted the clip of his interview on X, sparking a flood of fan reactions.

One fan wrote:

“Rory failed another inspection lol”

Another commented:

“i find it interesting that now he'll just be chasing all the appearance fees, who knows if he'll play the elevated events. loll the whole thing is so hypocritical. am I wrong”

A third pointed out:

“The best golfers in the world are ditching driver because the course is tight but the analytics say amateurs should always hit driver vs fairway wood.”

Some fans expressed frustration at Rory McIlroy himself, saying:

“as a LIV fan, I will never root for Rory ever again. kinda sucks because I used to like him”

One simply wrote:

“Nobody cares”

Rory McIlroy finished the day ranked ninth in driving accuracy, finding nearly 79 percent of fairways and averaging 274.5 yards off the tee to sit 38th in distance. Despite carding six birdies, three bogeys kept him five shots behind leader Shane Lowry, who opened with an 8-under 64. McIlroy sits tied for 17th after the first round.

Rory McIlroy explores new territory with Indian debut

Rory McIlroy is playing in India for the first time this week at the DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club. The world No. 2 has followed the course on television but had never played there in person.

McIlroy said the welcome from fans and locals has been “incredible” and added that he is excited to play in a country he has long wanted to visit.

"I'm excited to play a golf tournament in a place that I've never played before. 18-odd years into a professional career and to still be able to do things for the first time is something that excites me,” he said.

He also spoke about the direction of his schedule in the coming years.

“I would say as time goes on, my schedule will get hopefully more international. Because that's what I've enjoyed doing,” McIlroy said.

This tournament marks his first start since the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where he played all five sessions and posted a 3-1-1 record, and it reflects his focus on competing in new countries and reaching different audiences around the world.

Edited by Sonali Verma