Rory McIlroy has recently disclosed that he is managing an injury following the final round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
During the tournament, McIlroy made a commendable ascent up the leaderboard on Sunday, although he ultimately finished five strokes behind the champion, Min Woo Lee, who secured his inaugural PGA Tour title at this event.
However, the most significant update from McIlroy’s initial appearance at Memorial Park emerged after he concluded his final round.
He informed Kira K. Dixon from the Golf Channel that he was experiencing discomfort in his right elbow.
“Get some treatment on that,” McIlroy stated.
“[Got to] make sure that that’s OK going into Augusta.”
The Masters final round will take place in two weeks. Given that McIlroy has clinched victories in two events this season — both at renowned courses in Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass — he is set to arrive in Georgia as one of the top contenders alongside defending champion Scottie Scheffler.
While McIlroy’s elbow issue raises some concerns, it might also clarify some of the challenges he faced off the tee. Nevertheless, McIlroy remains unfazed and plans to dedicate a productive week at home in Jupiter, Florida, prior to heading north to Augusta National.
“Still feel like I’ve got some stuff to work on,” McIlroy remarked.
“Still don’t think like my game is absolutely 100 percent under the control I would want, but it’s nice to have a week to work on some things. I’ve got my coach, Michael Bannon, coming in tomorrow, so we’ll be working at home and making sure the game feels good going into the Masters.”
McIlroy elaborated on what he intends to focus on during practice this week.
“It’s just about feeling as comfortable as I can be with the things I’ve been working on, which is sort of iron play and wedges,” McIlroy shared.
“Obviously, short game is really important around Augusta as well. You know, work on those areas over the next few days and hopefully I’m feeling good going in there.”
Interestingly, after hitting only 21 of 39 fairways during the first three days in Houston, McIlroy opted to adjust his driver ahead of the final round.
“I just took a little bit of loft off it,” McIlroy explained.
“I felt like it was getting a bit spinny, especially if I wanted to hit cuts off the tee, so I took a little bit of loft off it. It definitely performed better in the wind today, and I felt more comfortable.”
This adjustment proved effective, as McIlroy hit 8-of-13 fairways on Sunday and ranked second in the field for strokes gained off the tee, finishing with a 6-under 64, his finest round of the tournament.
“It was a solid week. I definitely improved today, which was great to see,” McIlroy reflected.
“I made a slight tweak to my driver yesterday on the range after playing. That worked out quite well. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how the week went, despite feeling a bit disappointed with my finish.”
It’s noteworthy that McIlroy did not mention his elbow injury during his post-round press conference; he only discussed it on television. This could be something to keep an eye on, but it might just be a minor inconvenience. Regardless, McIlroy will head to Augusta with a strong chance of completing the career Grand Slam.
