Australian golf fans love Rory McIlroy but the Irishman doesn't appear to love Royal Melbourne with the global superstar saying the famous course isn't even the best in the city.

The world No.2 was swamped by a large crowd during the pro-am in a sign of things to come this weekend, with the Australian Open general public tickets sold out for the first time in years.

McIlroy will tee off in the opening round on Thursday with Australian great Adam Scott , whom he famously beat for the title in 2013, and another drawcard Min Woo Lee .

The game's newest grand slam winner praised the tournament's return from dual gender to its traditional format and its location on the Victorian sandbelt.

But McIlroy, who played five holes at five different Melbourne courses on Monday, wasn't overly e

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