Johannesburg – Rory McIlroy said it was a pleasure playing in front of such enthusiastic supporters. And there were many hundreds of them thousands lining the fairways as the Northern Irishman went about his business at the SA Open at Glendower.
The fans had come from far and near, waking up at the crack of dawn on Thursday to get to the 10th tee box to see the World No 2 make his first appearance on South African soil since 2008.
They called his name as he walked onto the tee box with fellow playing partners George Coetzee and defending champion Brandon Stone.
And they cheered and clapped when he nailed his opening drive 358m down the right side of the fairway. The SA Open was under way.
The gallery following McIlroy would grow and grow, becoming one of the biggest seen following one group in South Africa in a long time.
“I haven’t seen a crowd following a group like that since before golf was shown on television,” said Sunshine Tour marketing and communications director Duncan Cruickshank after McIlroy shot a 5-under-par 67 on Thursday morning. He teed off at 7.10am.
“You saw the crowds that came in... at that time. It’s mind-blowing what one super-star can do for a tournament. The vibe has been incredible.”
It’s difficult to gauge exactly how many fans streamed into Glendower on Thursday, but there were thousands. Cruickshank said he’d get numbers later on, but that he’s never seen so many fans turn up at 7am for a tee time.
“I know of people who flew up from Durban and Cape Town just to watch Rory today. It’s so exciting for the fans and it just shows how keen we are on golf.
“This is also a great experience for the local players, our sponsors and the Tour. What we saw today... and yes, there were even comparisons to Augusta National when you look at some of the pictures that were taken, this is comparable to anything in the world.”
And let’s not forget the man they all came to see. “Rory delivered; it was a dream start for him, and for us,” said Cruickshank.
The World No 2 is off on the first tee on Friday at 12.10pm.