Rory McIlroy doubles down on unusual strategy: ‘Dog out of the bag’

There were whispers all week. Given the narrow tree-lined fairways at Delhi GC, players expected to keep their drivers in their bags for most of the 2025 DP India World Cup.

But Rory McIlroy took it a step further. In Thursday’s opening round, five times grand champion he didn’t even keep his driver.

The strategy paid off with a strong start, though not as solid as one of his European Ryder Cup teammates.

Why Rory McIlroy didn’t carry a driver in the Indian Championship

The signs were clear before the tournament, when McIlroy first revealed the unusual strategy he was considering for the week.

“I’d say the next time I hit my driver will be in Abu Dhabi,” McIlory joked on Wednesday. “I don’t think I’m going to hit a driver this week. I just don’t think the risk is worth the reward. I’d rather put myself two or three clubs back and hit a 7-iron on a par-4 than hit a wedge, where if you just get it out of line here and the ball is gone. You’re hitting it in the jungle and you’re not going to hit a big number very quickly.”

And he wasn’t alone. Many other star professionals laid out similar plans due to the tough test that is Delhi GC, which you can read all about here.

During McIlroy’s final practice round, his driver could be seen in his golf bag carried by caddy Harry Diamond.

But when McIlroy finally started his round on Thursday, his driver, along with the famous St. Bernard dog blanketit was nowhere to be seen.

After his round, McIlroy confirmed the news with a joke in his post-round chat with reporters.

“The dog was out of the bag, probably sleeping in the locker,” McIlroy said.

He went on to explain that in a recent late-night strategy session, he realized that if he wasn’t going to hit his driver, he might as well leave it at home and replace it with something he could use. A 2-iron and 5-wood seemed to be his choices.

“I was thinking about it last night before I went to bed,” McIlroy began. “Well, sometimes if you’re really conservative from a par-5 today, you might have like a 5-wood on the green, but I’m never going to hit driver, so I just thought I’ve got 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron all the way down, and then I’ve got a 5-wood just in case I have to hit it for a certain amount of time. hit to hit it more than say 260, 270 from you.

Since he ranked second in driving distance on the PGA Tour in 2025 with a 323-yard average, his driver, often his biggest weapon, was just too much club.

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Shane Lowry, Ryder Cup players shine in Round 1 at the Indian Championship

It’s hard to fault McIlroy’s strategy given his opening round results. The reigning Masters champion shot a three-under 69 on the tough course, racking up six birdies and three bogeys.

Despite the good start, McIlroy was beaten by many other players involved in the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Nothing more than the European teammate Shane Lowry. Lowry, who provided one of the decisive points of the last half to help Europe win at Bethpage Black, shot an eight-under 64 to take the lead by one stroke.

Lowry’s round came together on the back nine, where he birdied five straight from holes 11-15 and then birdied the last for a 30.

Another European Ryder Cup star, FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwoodis one ahead of McIlroy after shooting 68 in Round 1. He finds himself tied for the European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

They are among a large group tied for seventh at four under that includes the only player in the field representing the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team: Ben Griffin.