Rory McIlroy reveals why he chose to play the Houston Open ahead of The Masters
Rory McIlroy has his eyes set on the green jacket this year, after a 10-year-long Major hiatus. However, before entering the Masters, his last game was the Houston Open.
He did not play at San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open. But why is it so? During the live interview session at Augusta National, he shared the reason behind his decision. When Rory McIlroy was asked about his Major preparation, he shared:
“I think it’s pretty similar for me over the years up until the PLAYERS, and then you’ve got a decision to make you know, you’ve only three weeks leading up to this event. And it’s Tampa, Houston and San Antonio.”
Mcllroy said he has played at Tampa once and at San Antonio a few times but had never had a shot at playing in Houston, particularly the Memorial Park Golf Course.
“If this week wasn’t the week that it was, I would probably take those three weeks off. But I knew that I needed to at least have one more competitive week leading in here. So, I opted for Houston rather than San Antonio just to change it up more than anything else, a bit of a change of scenery. But that was really it,” he added.
Rory McIlroy said he approached his preparation for the tournament much like he does for most other weeks. However, since it’s a course players return to annually, he noted that it requires a bit more course-specific knowledge. He added that there are certain shots unique to this layout that players typically don’t encounter during the rest of the season.
Well, he might have really amped up things for him this season, because his form seems to be better than what it used to be.
Rory McIlroy is optimistic about career Grand Slam this week
Rory McIlroy is once again chasing a piece of golfing history as he prepares for another attempt to complete the career Grand Slam at Augusta National, the only Major missing from his collection. The four-time major winner has not secured a Major title since his 2014 The Open Championship victory, despite accumulating 21 top-10 finishes in Majors since then.
Now entering his 11th year of trying to win The Masters, McIlroy appears in strong form with two PGA Tour wins already this season, including triumphs at Pebble Beach and The Players Championship. With momentum on his side, many believe this could be his best shot yet, now in his 17th start at Augusta.
In his press conference ahead of the event, McIlroy acknowledged the external expectations and storylines but emphasized his focus, saying:
"It's just narratives, it's noise… I need to treat this tournament like any other."
Despite the weight of history and public attention, McIlroy remains committed to blocking out distractions and focusing solely on his performance, a mindset he hopes will finally lead him to Masters glory.