Rory McIlroy was clearly dialled-in bringing his ‘Middle East Swing’ good form to the PGA Tour’s ‘West Coast Swing’ in posting a round of 68 on day one of the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

McIlroy teed-up in the $ 7.4m event for a first occasion having averaged 67 for each of his eight rounds on the European Tour’s ‘Middle East Swing’.

And had it not been for a 16^th hole bogey, McIroy would have kept his average at 67 on the Pacific Ocean lined Spyglass Hill course

McIlroy’s first PGA Tour birdie in near five months was in holing an eight-foot gem at the par-5 opening hole.

The current World No. 8, and playing alongside Phil Mickelson, dropped a shot at six but picked off birdies also at seven, eight and the then three inward half birdies on the par-5 11^th and 14^th holes before a birdie at the last for his four-under total.

“I was happy with my round and anytime you can get it around Spyglass with a decent score you have to feel good as it is the tougher of the three courses,” he said.

“I recovered well from a couple of messy holes coming in and in the end, I made a great bogey on 16, a great par on 17 and then it was nice to finish with a birdie.

“I’m scrambling well when I need to. I feel like I’ve made good strides with my putting over the off season. Driving the ball good. Everything — from when I spoke to you guys last until now, everything, I feel, has gotten better, which is a good thing.

“So, no, I feel really comfortable with it all.”

And Paul Casey, in his first event since helping steer Europe to victory in the EurAsia Cup, was thrilled to also commence his first regular event of the New Year with a five-under par 67 on the Pebble Beach course.

Casey bogeyed his second hole, the 11th on the scorecard, but regrouped superbly with six birdies from his sixth to 15th holes.