World No. 1 Rory McIlroy escaped the clutches of the ‘Blue Monster’ in posting a one over par 73 on the opening day of the WGC – Cadillac Championship at Trump Doral.

McIlroy was four over par with six holes to play before igniting the form that has earned him four Majors to play the last six holes of the Gil Hanse-redesigned course in three under par.

If left McIlroy trailing a massive 11 shots behind American J B Holmes who set a new course record of a 10-under par 62 to lead the 73-player field by four shots.

McIlroy failed to post a birdie in his outward half of 40 that included two bogeys and a ninth hole double when he found water with his second shot.

He headed to his back nine having found four of seven fairways and once on the green taking 17 putts.

After pars at the first three holes of his last nine McIlroy played more like the game’s best with birdies at 13, 14, a bogey at 15, birdie at 16 and then highlight of his round when at the eighth hole he fired a 220-yard second shot 22 feet left of the pin and putted out for an eagle ‘three’.

However he then found a greenside bunker at his last in taking bogey and while he also missed three fairways McIlroy had only 10 putts.

And when asked if he was feeling dejected or ‘cheesed off’ McIlroy responded in the positive.

“Yeah, because it is very good on the range and it is very good in normal play and when I’m not playing a tournament,” he said.

“Then I’ve had a card in my hand the last couple of weeks and it just hasn’t been quite there.

Rory McIlroy losing a grip on his game over the outward nine in today’s first round of the WGC – Cadillac Championship. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)

“So like I said last week, it’s nice you can get four rounds like this and sort of try to play your way into some sort of rhythm.

“I don’t feel like it’s that far away.  That’s the frustrating thing.  I feel like there’s stretches of holes like on that front nine where three birdies and an eagle in the space of five holes;  I know that it’s in there.  It’s just all the other stuff, and then I was a little wasteful today around the greens as it seemed like every green I missed today, I wasn’t able to get up-and-down and that’s not good to help either.”

And before heading to the nearby practice range McIlroy admitted there was some satisfaction in being able to turn around being four-over par through 12 holes to play his last six in three under.

“To make a comeback like that over the last six holes was nice,” he said.