Rory McIlroy reacts to changes in Delhi Golf Club during DP World India Championship

“I thought some of the hole locations early on were really tricky. You play a practice round or a pro-am, the pins are all in the middle of the green, and then you get to tournament day and they start to tuck them away a little bit, and of course definitely played a little tougher than I expected it to today.”

The Northern Irishman responded by saying: “Yeah, I think it’s similar strategy to what I did today, especially off the tee. You just have to get the ball in the fairway. The rough is unpredictable. You get a lot of fliers like I did last two there. Yeah, maybe being a little bit less aggressive with approach shots and getting it on the right side of pin.

“The greens are so grainy that uphill putts are very slow, but then if you get it above the hole downhill putts with down-grain get very, very quick so leaving yourself below hole is pretty important as well.”

Even though he found conditions challenging on Thursday he remains well positioned in the event sitting just four strokes behind early leader Keita Nakajima after first round.

Ben Griffin outlines different approach to McIlroy’s in DP World India opener

Ben Griffin finished his first round at Delhi Golf Club with a 68, mixing five birdies, an eagle, and three bogeys.

When asked if he felt the course was playing tougher than it had during practice rounds, as McIlroy suggested, Griffin offered a different perspective.

He said: “Erm, it’s funny. Some people play better when they’re playing casually at home or in practice rounds.

“I feel like I’m the worst golfer when it comes to me playing at home or playing in practice rounds, or in Pro-Ams. I rarely shoot under par in Pro-Ams, I’ll be honest.”

“In a tournament round I maybe lock in a little bit more with targets and everything like that.”

Griffin is one of those players who clearly feels more comfortable under tournament pressure. McIlroy usually falls into that category too.

This time though, the Northern Irishman found conditions tougher than expected compared to what he’d seen earlier in the week.