Rory McIlroy described his opening round at the Australian Open as a "rollercoaster" after slipping seven shots adrift of early leaders Elvis Smylie, Ryan Fox and Carlos Ortiz. 

McIlroy, playing in his first tournament Down Under since 2015, mixed five birdies and six bogeys during a one-over 72 at Royal Melbourne on Thursday. 

The Northern Irishman was among the early starters in windy conditions, but began with a birdie on 10, only to follow that up with back-to-back bogeys which set the tone for his round. 

McIlroy dropped a shot at the par-three 16th and opened his second nine with a bogey at the first, and though he responded, his good work was soon undone.

Having holed successive birdies from the second, he dropped shots at the fourth and par-three seventh, leaving him perplexed about how his round unfolded. 

"It was a rollercoaster day," McIlroy said. "Every time I got a birdie or two, I got a bogey or two. It wasn't terrible.

"I hit it in a couple of bad spots and had a couple of three-putts as well. I limited the damage. I hope the conditions are better tomorrow."

Round 1 was a movie#Crown #AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/1QI6z4P8kG

— Australian Open (@AusOpenGolf) December 4, 2025

This weekend, McIlroy headlines the field in Melbourne and is chasing a first victory in Australia in 12 years and a second Stonehaven Cup, but he has a lot of work to do. 

Smylie – who won last year's Australian PGA Championship – was the pick of the morning starters after an opening-round 65, before Ortiz and Fox later made it a three-way tie for the lead. 

On the front nine, Ortiz made five birdies and eagled the penultimate hole, while Fox carded eight birdies with two bogeys to also sit at six under at the end of the first day. 

Scotland's Cameron Adam is two strokes back in tied-fourth alongside Frenchman Clement Charmasson and Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.

Cameron Smith bogeyed two of his final three holes for a one-under 70, with Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott, both playing alongside McIlroy, also four shots adrift of the lead. 

Ahead of the tournament, McIlroy said that Australia had been "starved" of top-level golf, and he welcomed the support from the fans in Melbourne. 

"It was amazing. I couldn't believe how many people were there at seven o'clock when we teed off," McIlroy added. "There are events in golf that mean a little bit more.

"Everyone in Australia takes so much pride in their national Open and you can feel it, so it's a pleasure to be here again and play there with Adam [Scott] and Min Woo [Lee].

"I'm looking forward to getting out there with them again tomorrow."