Those with good feelings about Rory McIlroy heading into The Masters will have only taken further confidence from the Northern Irishman’s performance at the Texas Children’s Houston Open this week.
Rory McIlroy looks to be one of the big favourites for The Masters after winning twice on the PGA Tour this season, including at The Players Championship. It is the first time in McIlroy’s career that he has won twice stateside before April.
He was unable to make it three wins at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. However, it seemed to be another extremely positive week for the 35-year-old.
McIlroy’s scores improved with each round at Memorial Park, culminating in a 64 on Sunday. For a while in the final round, he appeared to be one of those best placed to challenge Min Woo Lee.
Rory McIlroy says he had an injury bothering him at the Texas Children’s Houston Open
Ultimately however, McIlroy left himself with just a little too much to do on Sunday. And it seems that there is a slight concern for the four-time major champion ahead of The Masters.
Speaking to NBC, McIlroy admitted that he felt a little uncomfortable during the tournament, despite registering another impressive finish.
“I think just working on a few things. Right elbow has been bothering me a little bit, so maybe get some treatment on that and make sure that is okay going into Augusta,” he said.
“I have my coach coming in tomorrow, we will do some work and make sure everything is in good shape for a week’s time.”
The change McIlroy made to his driver ahead of the final round at the Houston Open
McIlroy has been the standout player on tour this year. And yet, it does not feel as if he has managed to find his very best performances. He threw away a three-shot lead down the back nine on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass before getting the job done in a playoff.
But crucially, McIlroy is finding a way to win – which is almost more impressive. And he explained the change he made ahead of the final round in Texas which helped him improve further.
“I actually made a slight adjustment to my driver yesterday, I went to the range and took the loft off a little bit and I definitely drove the ball better today. That was a positive. I saw some putts go in and I thought as it went on during the week I got better and better as the score suggests. It was a good week, I feel like I still have some stuff to work on but overall a solid week,” he said.
Given McIlroy’s history over the last decade, it would almost be more alarming if he was playing stunning golf to win at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass.
Instead, he is making mistakes and he is looking uncharacteristically rusty off the tee at times. And yet, it appears to be an indication that he could be about to peak at the perfect time while also winning when short of his best.
As long as he remains fit, it could prove to be a devastating combination at Augusta.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
