Rory McIlroy has revealed he is planning to make at least one trip to Augusta National in preparation for the Masters next month.
McIlroy will be hoping to finally complete the career Grand Slam and win the Masters for the very first time in April, with the Northern Irishman looking to clinch his fifth major title 11 years on from his fourth. In a bid to make sure he is ready to go come April 10 in Georgia, McIlroy is planning a visit to Augusta due to some changes to the setup.
Rory McIlroy is planning an Augusta trip (Image: Getty Images)
The iconic course was impacted by Hurricane Helene last October, forcing those in charge to make some alterations due to the damage left.
Speaking after his final round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday, McIlroy said: “I think it’s just going to be a little bit different this year. Just with there’s some areas of the course that are maybe a little thinner tree-wise, just with the hurricane that rolled through.
“Sixteen is a new green. So, yeah, I’ll probably go up there once or twice beforehand.” Prior to the opening major of the campaign though, McIlroy will compete in the flagship event of the PGA Tour season, with The Players Championship returning to TPC Sawgrass this week.
McIlroy has enjoyed success at Sawgrass in the past, having won the title back in 2019. Since then though, the four-time major champion has not been at his best around the Florida track, having missed the cut on two of his last four starts since 2021.
Rory McIlroy is yet to win the Masters ( Image: Getty Images)
Things are trending in the right direction early on in 2025 though, having moved his name back up to second in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in recent weeks. In three starts on the PGA Tour this year, McIlroy has two top-20 finishes and a victory, having won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month.
He also impressed in his season opener on the DP World Tour at the Dubai Desert Classic too, ending the week in a tie for fourth. Once the Players has passed McIlroy will have a three-week gap before the Masters, and is therefore contemplating adding another event to his schedule to bridge the gap.
McIlroy revealed he will choose between either the Houston Open or Valero Texas Open depending on his performance this week. “I don’t like the idea of having three weeks off going into the Masters, so I may add one event,” he said prior to the tournament at Bay Hill last week.
“I’m still between what event that may be. But it really just depends on how these two weeks go and how I’m feeling about my game. But I would imagine I would add an event leading into there, it just depends on whether it’s Houston or San Antonio.”
