Test cricket-loving Rory McIlroy says he will chuck driver at DGC

New Delhi: Rory McIlroy landed in India a bit late for the second and final Test between India and West Indies. McIlroy, who is here to play DP World India Championship, confessed his love for the longest format of cricket and his desire to watch it in India, and a yearning to see the Taj Mahal, the monument of love.

But time constraints due to commitments at the Delhi Golf Club will not allow that. He says he will return someday. For now, he will catch up with the Ashes when Down Under later this year.

McIlroy, the current Augusta Masters champion and Race to Dubai (DP World Tour rankings) winner in 2022, 2023 and 2024, will be the cynosure of all eyes during the tournament that will be held this weekend at the Delhi Golf Club.

“I'd love to go and see a cricket game. I'd love to go watch a cricket match. I don't think there's anything on until next month maybe. I'd love to come back and do that. I mean, I'm a bit of a sicko; I love sitting down and watching Test matches,” said the 36-year-old who has won five Majors.  

“I'm going to be in Australia later this year, and The Ashes is going to be on. So that's something I'm quite excited -- I don't think I'll be able to get to a game but I'd love to do that.”

McIlroy pointed the second thing on his bucket list.

Rory McIlroy in action at DGC 

“Obviously the Taj Mahal, love to come back at some time in years to come, bring back the family and experience that together. It's obviously a very, very big country and a lot to see. We're just around Delhi but you head south, and you head to a lot of other wonderful places. I hear down on the sort of southwest coast is beautiful. There's so much to see. It's such a big country.”

The DGC is tight and will test the golfers. While Shubhankar Sharma says that the narrowness of the fairways is only an illusion, the fact is that most golfers will not use their drivers.

McIlroy too is one of them.

“I'd say that the next time I hit my driver will be in Abu Dhabi (laughs). I don't think I'll hit a driver this week. I just don't feel like the risk is worth the reward. I'd rather leave myself two or three clubs back and hit a 7-iron into a par 4 instead of hitting a wedge where if you just get it off-line here and the ball is gone,” he explains.  

“You're hitting it into jungle and you're not going to be able to get it out. You can rack up a very big number very quickly. So being strategic and being smart with your play off the tee, especially, is very important.

“I can see why S.S.P. has done so well around here. You just keep hitting it down the middle, hit it 260, 250, 260 every single time, and if you do that, then you can do very well around this golf,” added McIlroy, who says he has “gravitated more towards stoicism and the ancient Greeks and that sort of stuff more than anything else”.

McIlroy tees off at 7.15 am from the 10th. His group includes Norwegian Viktor Hovland and American Ben Griffin. 

Tags : Rory McIlroy, Delhi Golf Club, DP World India Championship, Race to Dubai, Golf, Taj Mahal, Australia