Rory McIlroy has work to do to make the cut at the Honda Classic

Rory McIlroy was the low scorer in his marquee threesome during Thursday’s opening round of the Honda Classic, so at least the world No. 1 had that going for him.

On a day when strong winds at PGA National blew some of the best golfers out of contention, McIlroy was also pleased to note that his 3-over 73 -- compared with Dustin Johnson’s 77 and Brooks Koepka’s 78 -- bettered his score in last year’s finale.

“It’s a little bit of an accomplishment,” McIlroy joked about blowing his 54-hole lead in last year’s final round and eventually losing in overtime.

While hardly the start the 2012 Honda champion was hoping for in his 2015 PGA Tour debut, McIlroy took heart from a birdie-birdie finish that took some of the sting away from his curtain-raising double-bogey.

“I feel like I salvaged something out of the round the last couple holes,” McIlroy said. “It was just a day to keep trying, not to give up, and know that anything around level or one- or two-over par still isn’t out of it.”

Coming off a three-win PGA Tour season that included two straight major titles, and, in the absence of Tiger Woods, McIlroy entered the week confident and eager to fulfill his role as “the guy” who is the face of the game. A ball into heavy flora and out of play off the tee on No. 1 was certainly not what he had in mind when he took the field after a three-week break following his Dubai Desert Classic victory.

“Wasn’t quite what I wanted, but, hopefully, tomorrow morning we get calmer conditions and we’re able to give ourselves a few more opportunities and make some birdies,” said McIlroy.

Despite his wind-swept score on a day when just 19 players were under par, McIlroy ended the day only eight shots off the pace of frontrunner Jim Herman.

For sure, an early-morning start Friday offered the hope of immediate redemption -- and a tee time for the weekend. A bogey on No. 10 (his first of the day) was not the way to accomplish either. Soggy conditions that forced a suspension of play and an afternoon full of mud balls aren’t likely to make scoring any easier.