Australian Open 2025 day one AS IT HAPPENED: Rory McIlroy battles through mixed results as Aussie stars overshadow glamour group

That concludes Wide World of Sports' LIVE coverage of day one of the 2025 Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

Nine's broadcast of the Australian Open continues on Channel Nine before switching to 9Gem at 3pm AEDT.

Watch the 2025 Australian Open live and free on Nine and 9Now.

Golf superstar Rory McIlroy had an underwhelming first round at Royal Melbourne — the course he sensationally described this week as "probably not the best course" in the city — on day one of the Australian Open.

Playing in a bumper group featuring local heroes Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee on Thursday, Northern Ireland's McIlroy shot a 1-over 72 to be tied for 45th at the time of publication.

Scott and Lee both carded a 2-under 69 on the first of four days of the PGA Tour tournament.

CONTINUE READING HERE.

The players are facing extremely difficult conditions, battling strong crosswinds and blustery weather.

The greenskeepers' decision not to cut the greens proved wise, as the surfaces are already very fast.

Marc Leishman finishes his opening round at one-under 71, joining fellow Aussie Cam Smith on that mark.

Unfortunately, Leishman suffered a bogey on his final hole, capping a tough stretch that saw him drop two shots over his last three holes.

He finished the day with four birdies against three bogeys.

Joining Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee in a strong position at two-under 69 are fellow Australians Richard Green and Curtis Luck.

And there might be another name joining them soon, as Marc Leishman has just one hole left to play.

Cam Smith finished his day at one-under 70.

While showing clear improvement from his previous campaign at Royal Queensland, he had a rocky front nine, tallying three frustrating bogeys.

Elvis Smylie has done all he can.

He finishes his opening round at -6, taking the outright lead into the clubhouse.

Despite starting with a bogey on his opening hole (the 10th), it was all uphill from there, fueled by an outstanding seven birdies.

"That'll be hard to top here on the composite course on day one," commentator Nick O'Hern said of the stellar performance on Nine.

Smylie holds a two-shot lead over Sebastian Munoz, who still has one hole left to complete his round.

The big-name marquee group has now officially completed all 18 holes of their opening round.

Adam Scott finishes the day strongly at -2, carding an eagle along with three birdies and three bogeys.

Min Woo Lee was remarkably consistent and sits tied for second place -2, thanks to three birdies and only one bogey.

Meanwhile, it was a truly mixed bag for Rory McIlroy, who finishes the day at +1 after tallying five birdies but struggling with six bogeys.

McIlroy certainly has a bit of work ahead of him for Friday's round, and I suspect some focused short putting practice will be on his schedule this afternoon.

The group will be in action again tomorrow aftermoon.

The marquee group is now on the 9th hole, playing the last of their opening round.

Elvis Smylie is now all alone at the top at -5.

He's absolutely piecing together a superb round, dropping another huge birdie putt to take the outright lead with just two holes left to play. What a run!

Smylie is the son of former Australian professional tennis players Peter Smylie and Liz Smylie (née Sayers).

Oh dear, the missed short putts are piling up for Rory McIlroy.

After dropping two bogeys in his last four holes, he's currently sitting +1 with only two holes left to play in his opening round.

It's been an absolute white-knuckle ride for the Masters champion today.

He's struggled to find consistency, carding six bogeys against five birdies in what has been a truly rollercoaster start to the tournament.