'Incredible' and a 'roller coaster': McIlroy on his Australian Open first round

While questions about the status of the Australian Open have been debated ad nauseam in recent years, there's no doubt that the national tournament Down Under returned to at least a glimmer of its former majesty on Thursday.

Much of the renewed surge of interest in the tournament, including conversations about whether or not it should constitute a fifth major, are down to the return of Rory McIlroy to Australian shores. The world number 2, who won the tournament in 2013, teed off on his first round this morning in a landmark moment for an event that, while part of the DP World Tour, has struggled to capture the golf world's imagination in recent years.

McIlroy would go on to post an unspectacular +1 73, ending the opening day in a tie for 56th and seven shots behind leader Elvis Smylie. However the mark his appearance has left on Australian golf in the short term is already undeniable.

"It was a roller coaster day," McIlroy said to reporters after the day's play. "Every time I got a birdie or two, I got a bogey or two. It wasn't terrible. I hit it in a couple of bad spots and had a couple of three-putts as well.

While McIlroy's comments about the iconic layout at Royal Melbourne raised eyebrows earlier in the week, the course came back to bite him somewhat across the day as gusts of 40mph or more led to a tough slog on an already tough Sandbelt layout.

"It's tricky conditions and not like anyone is getting away out there, so I limited the damage and hope the conditions are a little bit better tomorrow."

McIlroy was nonetheless quick to point out his affection for the Melbourne crowd, which arrived in droves to see him play. Unprecedented crowds arrived at the course in the early hours of the morning ahead of his 7:05AM tee time, in which he formed a blockbuster trio with local heros Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee.

In response, reiterating that the nation's premier golf tournament deserves more of the spotlight than it has received in recent years.

"It was amazing. I couldn’t believe how many people were there at 7:00am," McIlroy said to interviewers after. "Just absolutely incredible." 

This year's Masters champion is appearing in the first of a two year deal to compete at the Australian Open, having received a rumoured fee of around $2 million to do so. Next year's Australian Open will take place at Kingston Heath, another of Australia's top-ranked golf courses and a course McIlroy said this week was his favourite in Melbourne.

"There's events in golf that just mean a little bit more. I think everyone in Australia takes so much pride in their national open, and you can feel that. It's a pleasure to be back."

McIlroy will rejoin Lee and Scott on the tee box at Royal Melbourne at 12:05pm local time on Friday.