Rory McIlroy’s bold move in India leaves fans stunned

Rory McIlroy is widely regarded as one of the best drivers of the ball in golf, which made it all the more surprising that he chose to play the first round of the DP World India Championship without even carrying a driver in his bag.

McIlroy’s strong start despite unusual setup

Playing on Indian soil for the first time in his career, the world No. 2 made a solid start to the tournament at Delhi Golf Club. His 3-under-par 69 put him in the upper section of the leaderboard, and his decision to leave the big stick behind didn’t appear to hurt his performance.

Why McIlroy left his driver behind

“The dog was out of the bag, having a sleep in the locker,” the Northern Irishman told UK broadcaster Sky Sports after his round.

“I was sort of thinking about it last night before I went to bed,” McIlroy explained. “Sometimes, if you’re really conservative off a par-5 tee, you might need a five wood into the green, but I’m never going to hit driver. I just thought, I’ve got a 2 iron, 3 iron, 4 iron all the way through, then I’ve got a 5 wood just in case I need to hit it for an approach shot to a par 5.”

“I just don’t see any hole out there you need to get it more than 260–270 yards off the tee,” he concluded.

From the sound of it, McIlroy plans to go driver-free again in Friday’s second round.

McIlroy leads the Race to Dubai, again

The DP World India Championship, which carries a $4 million prize purse, is a new addition to the 2025 DP World Tour and is the fourth-to-last event of the season.

The Race to Dubai, which determines the tour’s top player each year, will conclude with the DP World Tour Championship, which has a $10 million prize purse, at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai from Nov. 13–16.

McIlroy has already won the Race to Dubai six times and is in pole position to claim a fourth consecutive victory, holding a comfortable lead over second-placed Marco Penge.

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