Rory McIlroy recovered from a rocky start to dip back under par at the end of the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Championships in South Africa yesterday.

The Holywood teenager went into the event as the third highest ranked player in the field and a birdie at the second looked to herald the start of an assault at Leopard Creek.

It was the course that bit back, as McIlroy dropped three shots in his next two holes after a bogey at the third was followed by a six at the par-four fourth to leave him on two-over for his round.

The world number 49 didn't panic and a birdie at the sixth steadied the ship. He would collect two more on the back nine, at the 11th and 13th, to finish with a one-under 71.

That left McIlroy six shots adrift of the leading pair of Sweden's Michael Jonzon and America's Len Mattiace, who both carded 65s.

Tournament favourite Lee Westwood is in a group of four players one shot behind the leaders that also includes fellow Englishman Robert Rock.

Tour rookie Jonathan Caldwell enjoyed a good first day at the office after the Clandeboye golfer carding a two-under 70. Fellow Ulsterman Michael Hoey signed for the same score.

Damien McGrane was a shot further back alongside McIlroy on one-under. Gareth Maybin shot a level-par 72, while Gary Murphy was well down the field after an opening 76.

SCOREBOARD
(Ireland and Britain unless stated, par 72):

65Len Mattiace (USA), Michael Jonzon (Swe)
66Robert Rock, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Lee Westwood, Johan Edfors (Swe)
67John E Morgan, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa)
68Neil Cheetham, Alvaro Velasco (Spa), Tyrone Mordt (Rsa), Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Garth Mulroy (Rsa), Alan McLean, Pelle Edberg (Swe), David Lynn, Seve Benson, Marc Cayeux (Zim), Gary Lockerbie, Warren Abery (Rsa), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Richard Sterne (Rsa)
69Titch Moore (Rsa), Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Chris Wood, Hennie Otto (Rsa),
Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Robert Dinwiddie, Michiel Bothma (Rsa), Magnus A Carlsson
(Swe), Willie Van Der Merwe (Rsa), Oskar Henningsson (Swe)
70 Jonathan Caldwell, Adilson Da Silva (Bra), Branden Grace (Rsa), Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa), Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Tyrone Van Aswegen (Rsa), Mark Murless (Rsa), Michael Hoey, Alex Haindl (Rsa), Prinavin Nelson (Rsa), Brett Liddle (Rsa), Estanislao Goya (Arg), Andrew Coltart, Scott Drummond, Tc Charamba (Zim), George Coetzee (Rsa), David Dixon, Inder Van Weerelt (Ned), Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Keith Horne (Rsa), Ross McGowan
71Carlos Del Moral (Spa), Damien McGrane, Euan Little, Simon Dyson, Bradford Vaughan (Rsa), Mohammed Tayob (Rsa), Wil Besseling (Ned), Rory McIlroy, Iain Pyman, Antti Ahokas (Fin), Jaco Ahlers (Rsa), Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Andrew Curlewis (Rsa), Albert Pistorius (Rsa), Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Alexandre Rocha (Bra), David Drysdale, Sam Walker, Marcus Higley, Richard Finch, Chris Williams (Rsa), Raveloarison Johary (Mg), James Kamte (Rsa), Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 72Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Jamie Little, Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Shaun Norris (Rsa), Birgir Hafthorsson (Ice), Danny Willett, Doug McGuigan, Callum Macaulay, Thabang Simon (Rsa), Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa), Federico Colombo (Ita), Teboho Sefatsa (Rsa), Trevor Fisher Jnr (Rsa), Desvonde Botes (Rsa), Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa), Garry Houston, Gareth Maybin, David Horsey, Jake Roos (Rsa), Andre Cruse (Rsa), Taco Remkes (Ned), Justin Walters (Rsa)                                                                     73Jacques Blaauw (Rsa), Reggie Adams (Rsa), Steve Basson (Rsa), James Kingston (Rsa), Jean Hugo (Rsa), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Alessandro Tadini (Ita), Dean Lambert (Rsa), Dion Fourie (Rsa), Mark Foster, Neil Schietekat (Rsa), Alan Michell (Rsa), Steve Van Vuuren (Rsa), Christopher Doak
74Sion Bebb, John Mellor, Louis Moolman (Rsa), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Klas Eriksson (Swe), Rossouw Loubser (Rsa), Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Atti Schwartzel (Rsa), Vaughn Groenewald (Rsa)
75Merrick Bremner (Rsa), Stuart Davis, Ake Nilsson (Rsa), Paul Waring, Stuart Manley, Grant Veenstra (Rsa), Gary Clark, Marco Ruiz (Par), Grant Muller (Rsa), Tyrone Ferreira (Rsa), Deane Pappas (Rsa)
76Richie Ramsay, Ross Wellington (Rsa), Divan Van Den Heever (Rsa), Wallie Coetsee (Rsa), Gary Murphy, Nic Henning (Rsa), Jonathan Lomas
77Jeremy Kavanagh, Per-Ulrik Johansson (Swe)
78Brandon Pieters (Rsa), Henrik Nystrom (Swe), Ryan Tipping (Rsa), Omar Sandys (Rsa), Brenden Pappas (Rsa), Lindani Ndwandwe (Rsa)
79Michael Dreyer (Rsa)
80Lee Slattery, Anton Haig (Rsa), Anthony Snobeck (Fra)
81Jbe Kruger (Rsa)
82Tota Thimba jnr (Rsa), Ariel Canete (Arg)
84Lorenzo Gagli (It)