Rory McIlroy makes shock PGA Tour claim as he starts slowly in R1 at Australian Open

Rory McIlroy admits he is now placing greater emphasis on winning majors and the European Ryder Cup team over chasing DP World Tour and PGA Tour records.

McIlroy, 36, made his latest claims before going on to card a lacklustre 1-over 72 in the first round of the Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, a venue he considers isn't the best course in Melbourne.

The Northern Irishman, who is teeing it up Down Under for the first time since 2014 this week, is going in search of a second career title at the famous Australian Open.

McIlroy pipped home favourite Adam Scott to the Stonehaven Cup in 2013 when the tournament was held at Royal Sydney GC.

But the World No.2 will need to pull out all the stops if he's to etch his name on the trophy once again after a slow start on day one.

Rory McIlroy endures rollercoaster Round 1 at Australian Open

McIlroy endured a rollercoaster first round at the Crown Australian Open on Thursday. 

This week's tournament marks the second of the 2026 DP World Tour season, which got underway last week at the Australian PGA won by LIV Golf's David Puig. 

McIlroy began his first round on the 10th tee and started brightly with a birdie-three.

But he dropped shots at the next two holes to fall to 1-over par.

The Ulsterman got back into the red with birdies on the 14th and 15th, the latter of which was a bomb - scroll down to watch...

But he would immediately drop a shot on the par-3 16th. 

McIlroy went out in a level-par 37 and then made the turn with a bogey to slip back into the black. 

He bounced back with birdies on the 2nd and 3rd to get back into the red once more, but would then drop yet more shots on the 4th and 7th to fall back to 1-over par. 

McIlroy then made pars to the house to sign for a lethargic 1-over 72. 

At the time of publication, that leaves McIlroy outside the top 25 and seven shots off the early pace set by left-hander Elvis Smylie, who won the Australian PGA last season. 

Smylie posted a brilliant 6-under 65 featuring seven birdies on the round. 

McIlroy started the week as a red-hot 9/2 favourite to win the Australian Open.

But after the first round, his odds have now dropped to 14/1. 

• VIEW LIVE AUSTRALIAN OPEN SCORES

England's Eddie Pepperell, who regained his DP World Tour card via Q-School last month, is off to a solid start on 3-under par. 

Pepperell leaked some interesting news about Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton's DP World Tour appeals on the eve of the Australian Open.

Home favourites Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Cam Smith are also in the red, as too is LIV Golf's Sebastian Munoz. 

McIlroy targeting majors and Ryder Cup over regular Tour events

Ahead of the Australian Open first round, McIlroy raised plenty of eyebrows with his choice of words about winning on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour these days. 

"I want to win more majors and I want to be part of more Ryder Cup teams," declared five-time major champion McIlroy to a pool of reporters at Royal Melbourne. 

"I'd say my records on either tour, whether it be the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour are probably meaning a little less to me as time goes on, and it's really just focusing on the majors and being part of that Ryder Cup team.

"I'm trying to build on the legacy that I've been building for the last 15 years."

Some fans consider McIlroy is right to solely focus on the majors and golf's greatest team spectacle, while others think adopting that mindset won't exactly help him going into the majors and Ryder Cup. 

McIlroy currently has 20 DP World Tour titles to his name, which puts him 30 off the all-time record set by Seve Ballesteros with 50 wins. 

On the PGA Tour, McIlroy has 29 titles, which is 53 back of the all-time record set by Sam Snead and Tiger Woods. But McIlroy does own an outright record three FedEx Cup titles. 

A number of golf fans consider McIlroy's latest comments about concentrating more on the majors come directly after Sir Nick Faldo claimed earlier this week the Northern Irishman will likely struggle to add to his haul of five majors after having completed the career grand at The Masters in April. 

McIlroy won a fourth straight Race to Dubai title and the seventh of his career last month to pull within one of Colin Montgomerie's all-time Order of Merit record on the European Tour.

Despite what McIlroy says in his latest quotes, the grand slam champion has admitted in recent times that one of his remaining career goals is to chase down Monty's record.

Scotland's Montgomerie, who won seven Order of Merits in a row from 1993 to 1999 before landing a record eighth in 2005, has confirmed he would like to personally present McIlroy with the Race to Dubai trophy should he go on to break his record in Dubai. 

McIlroy recently piled praise on Montgomerie, something the Scot was extremely "honoured" to hear about. 

Despite the fact McIlroy plays a larger schedule on the PGA Tour than on the DP World Tour, the heavy weighting of Race to Dubai points in the majors gives him a significant advantage every November given his typical consistency across the big four events of the season. 

Australian Open holds a special place in Rory's heart

Earlier this week, McIlroy described winning the Australian Open in 2013 as one of the most meaningful of his career, especially given a year later he went on to win two out of the four majors.

"I think about that tournament a lot and about what it meant," said McIlroy, who completed the career grand slam at The Masters this April.

"I felt at that point in my career, I was at a bit of a crossroads.

"In 2013 I'd really struggled and I really do think that that win at the end of the year was a catalyst for what happened in 2014, which I'd say, up there with 2025, are the best two years of my career."

Unlike in 2013, this time around the Australian Open is being staged Royal Melbourne.

The venue, to us here at GolfMagic, is without doubt one of the best golf courses in Australia.

But McIlroy doesn't quite view it that way.

"I don't want the membership to take this badly but it's probably not the best course in Melbourne," said McIlroy, to the shock of several reporters.

"I didn't anticipate how many blind tee shots there was going to be, and it takes a little bit to figure out. It's certainly not straightforward.

"I think as well, it probably plays better in the southerly wind rather than a northerly wind.

"It's probably not a fair reflection on the golf course playing it in this wind.

"It would be good to play it in a few other directions, but it's obviously an amazing golf course and I can't wait to get out there and compete on it this week."

McIlroy told reporters on Wednesday ahead of the $2m event that the country has been "starved" of top-level golf for quite some time.

And he explained that LIV Golf's popular event in Adelaide demonstrates there is a market for the sport.

"It hasn't been a secret that I've wanted to come back," McIlroy said, adding that the change in format to an individual men's and women's competition has probably helped.

"It just feels like this country is starved of top-level golf.

"Obviously, you've had Presidents Cups come down here and you've had a lot of good players still come through, but maybe just not on a consistent basis.

"And I think a market like this, with amazing fans and the history that it does have, probably deserves more of a consistency of big players and big tournaments.

"Australia has been a very big part of my golfing life and my golfing journey, going all the way back to playing the Australian Open as an amateur back in 2005 and 2006.

"I just think the quality of the golf down here, the quality of the players that have come from here.

"You look at an event like LIV in Adelaide and the people that come out to that event and how excited they are that some of the top players in the world are down here playing, it just feels like this country is starved of top-level golf.

"A market like this with amazing fans and the history that it does have probably deserves more of a consistency of big players and big tournaments.

"This tournament in particular because of the history, because of the tradition, deserves to be a standalone tournament, a week on its own, and hopefully one day they could put together a schedule where the biggest and best tournaments in the world and the oldest and the ones with the most heritage can be elevated."