Route 66 takes Scott to the top

Golf:Rory McIlroy managed only a one over par 73 in his first round as world number one today — and was seven shots off the early pace at the second of this year's world championships. The 22-year-old Irishman mixed three birdies — all at par fives — with four bogeys as the Cadillac Championship began in windy Miami.

He still beat Lee Westwood by three, but Luke Donald — who could take the top spot back off US Open champion McIlroy this week — shot 70 and took the honours after golf’s three highest-ranked players were paired together.

Australian Adam Scott set the clubhouse target for a 74-strong field that included all the world’s top 50, but Americans Steve Stricker and Jason Dufner were only one behind with three and four holes to go respectively.

Leading Europeans at that point on four under was Dane Thomas Bjorn, while Tiger Woods, second to McIlroy at the Honda Classic after a personal-best closing round of 62 on Sunday, was one under after 13 — something of a disappointment after he started as he finished in Palm Beach Gardens with an eagle.

The up and down pattern of McIlroy’s day was established early. He missed the green at the 11th, his second, and bogeyed, but came back with an 11-foot birdie putt on the next. He almost found the water off the tee at the demanding 18th, dropped another shot, but then almost matched Woods’ eagle on the long first.

Then came two bogeys in a row, however, and it could have been worse. His approach to the third hit the rocks by the water, but bounced left and returned to grass. A pitch to four feet at the par five eighth brought McIlroy his last birdie, but he has already left himself a lot of ground to make up.

Not as much as Westwood, though, and his score probably rules him out of the victory which could restore him to the world number one spot he relinquished to Donald last May. The 38-year-old, whose closing 63 last week was his best-ever round in America, bogeyed the first three holes, turned in 40 and remained four over coming home.

Paul Casey, playing for the first time since dislocating his shoulder snowboarding on Christmas Eve, also returned a 76 — and so did Ian Poulter a week after being diagnosed with pneumonia. Paul Lawrie and Martin Laird were one under and level par respectively coming to the closing stretch, but best of the British contingent was Justin Rose. He was in contention last week before slipping to fifth and four birdies in six holes from the eighth lifted him to three under.

Open champion Darren Clarke showed better form that of late, but only for 17 holes. He came to the last one under, but then put two balls in the lake for a triple bogey seven and 74.

Scott won last August’s world championship in Akron and said: “You know it’s only a month until The Masters and this is the time you want to knuckle down and get involved.” Bjorn did not have a bogey and stated: “When it’s this windy you know you need to play solid golf and keep the big numbers off your card. That’s what I did.”