HE'S the headline International act of an all-star cast at Royal Sydney, but Rory McIlroy couldn't help but feel starstruck as he made a long-awaited return Down Under on Sunday.
The former World No. 1 was flanked by Hollywood comedic royalty, with the entire crew of Anchorman II sharing his first class cabin.Fate seated McIlroy alongside the film's lead actor and highest funnyman Will Ferrell, an avid hacker who hosts his own annual golf tournament."All the crew (from the movie) were on my flight," the Northern Irishman revealed."I'm a great fan of Will Ferrell and Steve Carell, so it was a pretty cool thing to do."Will was actually sitting right across from me on the plane."
McIlroy also followed the cast to Sunday night's world premiere showing at The Entertainment Quarter, but he was back down to serious business yesterday.This weekend will mark McIlroy's first Australian Open campaign since 2006, when he was a17-year-old amateur who survived the cut on same layout in wild weather.He finished the tournament nine-over par, tied in 64th place.At the time there was no publicity, pressure or predictions that might have given an indication of what greatness would follow.Seven years later McIlroy has amassed more than $26 million in prizemoney, as well as claiming two majors (2011 US Open and 2012 PGA Championship)."I was only (a teenager) back then," McIlroy recalled."I was a little bit different. I really enjoyed Royal Sydney - it's a tough course."I'm a bit more experienced now compared to back then."Now ranked at No. 6 following a below-par year beset by sponsorship disputes and constant speculation about his relationship status with tennis glamour Caroline Wozniaki, McIlroy will need to summon his wizardry to compete with in-form Aussie duo Adam Scott and Jason Day.The local pair have won this season's three previous tournaments between them, and US Masters champion Scott is aiming to become just the second man after Robert Allenby to complete the Australian Triple Crown."Obviously Scotty is coming off a couple of great wins and Jason Day won last week," McIlroy said."They're both playing pretty well. Scotty has been one of the best players in the world for the past couple of years and Jason always seems to play well in the big ones."After checking out the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, McIlroy made a beeline for Rose Bay to prepare his game.Without a tournament win this calendar year, he's generated some quiet momentum with a T6 finish in last week's World Golf Championship in Dubai."I guess I'm a little disappointed with the way I finished, but I've had a fifth and a sixth in the last two tournaments," he said."The game feels good and it's good to be back in Australia."
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