Rory McIlroy has taken a scouting trip to Augusta National ahead of his upcoming Masters challenge.
The Northern Irishman visited the iconic course on Monday before heading to Texas for this week’s Houston Open.
McIlroy will make his first appearance at the Houston event since 2014, using it as his final PGA Tour start before the major season begins.
The world number two remains in pursuit of the career Grand Slam at Augusta.
Rory McIlroy is desperate to win The Masters, the last major he has never won
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McIlroy enters the Houston Open in impressive form, currently topping the FedExCup standings.
His strong start to the 2025 PGA Tour season includes victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, where he defeated Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry.
He followed this with another win at The Players Championship, securing the title in a Monday play-off at TPC Sawgrass just nine days ago.
These performances have established him among the favourites for The Masters.
Despite his recent victories, McIlroy remains self-critical about his performances.
“It was great to get a win a couple weeks ago but I still feel I could have played a lot better,” McIlroy told reporters ahead of the Houston Open.
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“I tried to poke holes in a lot of my game last week and think about things I could do better. There were definitely things that I could work on or do better.”
The 35-year-old is focused on continuous improvement despite his strong results.
McIlroy used his Augusta visit to familiarise himself with the course and inspect recent changes.
“There are four greens that are new this year, that they’ve redone,” he explained.
He also noted the impact of Hurricane Helene, which damaged the par-three 16th last autumn.
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Rory McIlroy has not won a major title in over 10 years but that could change next month at The Masters
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“The loss of a few trees is definitely noticeable and they’ve had to redo that green, but it’s exactly the same as what it was,” McIlroy said.
He added the hole would play “pretty much the same” despite “a few less shadows”.
McIlroy emphasised his focus remains on the present tournament rather than looking ahead to Augusta.
“It’s not as if I’m playing here this week and thinking about two weeks’ time. I’m here, I’m in the present and I’m trying to do my best this week to win this golf tournament,” he stated.
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“Every round you play, where you see good things, you’re sort of filling up that confidence bucket a little bit.”
McIlroy is joined in the Houston field by world number one Scottie Scheffler, who is still seeking his first PGA Tour victory of 2025.
Scheffler will defend his Masters title at Augusta National next month, aiming for a third green jacket in four years.
“It’s a similar grass to what we see at Augusta,” Scheffler said of the Houston course. “It’s also a big golf course, you’ve got to hit it far out here.”
The American added his game “feels like it’s in a good spot” ahead of the tournament.
