Rory McIlroy braced for 'difficult' day at Kingsbarns in Dunhill Links

Rory McIlroy reckons Kingsbarns isn’t the place to be when the weather turns nasty for the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Friday.

Rory McIlroy embraces his father Gerry after their opening round in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links. Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images.

The FedEx Cup winner and DP World Tour Rankings leader is heading to the Fife venue after having to settle for a four-under-par 68 at Carnoustie on the opening day of the $5 million event.

“Overall, you're not going to get Carnoustie in easier conditions, so feel like I left a few shots out there,” he said of his day’s work, having covered 11 holes in five-under after starting at the tenth but then taking the shine off the effort with a closing bogey.

“But, overall it was a decent day and you don't want to try to be chasing going into what looks like really bad weather tomorrow. So at least I've put a red number on the board and I've got a few shots to play with.”

Carnoustie certainly isn’t a course you’d want to tackle in heavy rain and strong winds, but McIlroy is also expecting a tough test on the other side of the Tay Estuary.

“Yeah, when the weather is like this, I feel like Kingsbarns is the easiest course of the rotation, but, when the weather turns, it's the most difficult,” said the four-time major winner.

“It is exposed and a lot of the greens are on high points out there. Hopefully it's not too windy and balls don't start rolling around everywhere. Hopefully we get it (a full round) in tomorrow, but we'll just have to wait and see.”

McIlroy and his dad Gerry opened with a six-under salvo in the team event, which the world No 2 admitted was his top target this week.

However, that left them sitting eight shots off the lead as a hot pace was set by Romain Langasque and Andrea Pavan with their amateur partners, Roy Ryu and Kieran McManus respectively.

“It was great,” said McIlroy of teaming up with his dad. “You can't ask for a better day at Carnoustie and to be out there, the sun shining, on a great golf course.”