McIlroy will tee off in the opening round of the Crown Australian Open on Thursday with Adam Scott, whom he defeated for the title in 2013, and another Australian drawcard Min Woo Lee (livestream begins at 3:00 PM EST with Golf Channel coverage at 4:00 PM).
But McIlroy, who played five holes on five different courses in Melbourne on Monday, was none too enthusiastic about Royal Melbourne, which rated nearby Kingston Heath above it.
Royal Melbourne has hosted the Presidents Cup three times, but Kingston Heath will be the venue for the International vs. the United States team event. And Kingston Heath will also host the Australian Open next year, which McIlroy has already agreed to play for.
“I don’t want the membership to receive this badly, but it’s probably not the best course in Melbourne,” said McIlroy, who won the Masters this year, becoming only the sixth man to achieve a career Grand Slam title.
In any case, he added that he ranked the course among the top 10 in the world and said it may have played “funky” on Wednesday because of the north wind.
“I didn’t expect how many blind tee shots there would be, and it takes some time to figure it out. It’s certainly not easy. I also think it probably plays better in southerly winds than in northerly winds… it’s probably not a good reflection of the golf course being played in these winds.”
He also added his approval for the Australian Open to return to a standalone format, breaking ties with the Women’s Australian Open, which has been held simultaneously with the men’s event for the past three years.
“Especially because of the history and the tradition, this tournament deserves to be a standalone tournament, a week of its own,” said McIlroy.
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