Bob Hawke’s well-known phrases after Australia II gained the America’s Cup will need to have rung round Melbourne final evening as a result of there couldn’t have been many individuals engaged on Thursday morning.
The sporting capital of the world enhanced its wealthy popularity as soon as once more as a seemingly by no means ending swarm of golf followers lined the fairways of Royal Melbourne to catch a glimpse of Rory McIlroy.
The profession grand slam winner’s 7.05am tee time didn’t discourage the patrons.
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The road on the fundamental gate appeared by no means ending earlier than opening at 6.30am and so they have been tempted to interrupt down the obstacles as McIlroy occupied a spot on the driving vary closest to them.
The demand led to match officers having their very own Kerry Packer World Sequence Cricket second – throwing the gates open to let the lots in.
A mad sprint for prime place ensued, and when you missed the early rush, you needed to bide your time.
Whereas McIlroy and Australian superstars Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee teed off on the tenth, followers packed the eleventh and twelfth fairways and greens to attend for his or her heroes to cross by way of.
“Some crowds for seven o’clock within the morning,” McIlroy advised reporters at Royal Melbourne.
“It’s nice. It was a beautiful environment to play in.
“Enjoying with Adam and Min Woo too, it was actually cool to see the individuals lining the fairways and the greens.”
“It’s superb. The welcome has been so heat. It’s been a pleasure to be right here,” he added.
“Simply hopefully play slightly higher and provides them extra to cheer about over the subsequent three days.”
Lee mentioned it was in all probability one of the best he’s ever performed in entrance of, whereas Scott joked that “Victorians like watching something” but in addition hailed it as a “nice day” for the match.
Eagle alert! Adam Scott turns it on | 00:55
As McIlroy’s one-over par spherical of 72 progressed, there have been at all times followers at the least three holes forward.
It meant that the likes of Jeff Guan, who’s extremely competing in his first Australian Open since going blind in a single eye after being struck by a golf ball in a pro-am accident final yr, and Ryan Peake, who gained final yr’s New Zealand Open after spending 5 years in jail, within the teams in entrance had the prospect to play in entrance of galleries that they had possible by no means skilled earlier than.
Whereas for Cameron Smith and match chief Elvis Smylie within the group behind, what would usually be thought of a wholesome crowd paled compared.
Not that the Queenslanders minded.
“Yeah, that is the way it needs to be,” Smith mentioned.
Whereas Smylie, who has performed in three majors throughout the final two years, echoed Lee by saying it was in all probability among the best crowds he’s ever performed in entrance of.
Australian LPGA star Steph Kyriacou discovered a method to dodge the lots.
The world No.40 donned a volunteer’s outfit, picked up a scoreboard and carried it round contained in the ropes.
For people who sprinted to the tenth for McIlroy’s opening gap in his Australian return, they might hardly have requested for a greater starting.
The Northern Irishman pushed his tee shot barely proper of the green, however crucially wanting the green bunker to offer himself a robust have a look at the inexperienced.
He then caught his method inside putting distance of the pin and rolled within the putt to kick issues off with a birdie.
McIlroy was quietly satisfied along with his opening, and couldn’t assist however a sport a smile when a patron ready by the stroll away mentioned as he strolled previous, “hey Rory, good putt mate”.
Rory fires early with first-hole birdie! | 01:09
These watching on have been merely in awe of his play off the tee and with a wedge or iron in hand, however the tune of the group modified on the eleventh and twelfth greens.
McIlroy missed quick putts to register back-to-back bogeys and several other spectators couldn’t assist however snigger about his match eve feedback about Royal Melbourne not being one of the best course within the metropolis with subsequent yr’s host Kingston Heath belonging to that moniker, in response to McIlroy.
There have been a couple of mutterings of the famed venue coming again to chew him, and warnings about taking part in with hearth when his quick putts lipped out.
For essentially the most half, nevertheless, followers have been merely making an attempt to hold on for pricey life.
McIlroy took them on a morning rollercoaster trip.
He made three birdies and three bogeys in his even par opening 9 holes.
Each shot felt like an occasion.
Followers gathered across the twelfth tee have been surprised by McIlroy reducing the nook with an iron.
Solely a minute earlier their jaws had additionally hit the bottom when his quick par putt on the adjoining eleventh inexperienced lipped out.
The gasps turned to roars on the 14th and fifteenth greens as he dropped a bomb of a birdie putt on the par 4 after taking advantage of the par 5.
A bogey on the par 3 sixteenth then surprised the group as his momentum seemingly got here to a halt.
A wayward tee shot left of the green on the par 5 seventeenth had them ducking for canopy, however when McIlroy left driver within the bag on the first in favour of a 3-wood, there have been calls to ‘get the large canine out’.
Maybe he ought to have as his 3-wood missed the green proper, and he was pressured to take an unplayable, main to a different bogey.
That was cancelled out by a birdie on the subsequent gap, nevertheless, a pearler of a tee shot resulting in clawing a shot again.
He made back-to-back birdies for the second time for the day on the quick par 4 third.
There was hardly a second to take a breath, and Kyriacou positive was busy preserving the numbers ticking over.
Yet one more bogey adopted when his tee shot on the par 3 seventh fell quick into the wind and within the bunker.
However even when he was making pars, the theatrics saved coming – putting a spectator, who was fortunately okay, with an errant tee shot on the ninth.
On the entire, it was not fairly the identical drama as his unforgettable ultimate spherical at this yr’s Masters, but it surely did as soon as once more present {that a} key a part of the McIlroy magic is his unpredictability.
He by no means does issues the simple manner.
That’s the reason so many Melburnians deemed it to be an unmissable occasion and took the stance that their boss, or their trainer, can be a bum for denying them the prospect to observe the Masters champion up shut.