Rory McIlroy Unsure If He'll Play Again Before Masters
When the golf world turns to Augusta National next month, Rory McIlroy will be the defending Masters champion. It may also be the next time he plays a golf tournament after a rough finish at the Players Championship. He was also the defending champion there, but he tied for 46th in a brutal weekend of golf.
Rory McIlroy may change schedule before Masters
Rory McIlroy won the Players Championship last year as part of a brilliant run to the Masters. He needed a win there to complete the Career Grand Slam. He'd been searching for it for over a decade, and he'd come maddeningly close.
This year, he didn't need that, but he wanted to defend his title at perhaps the most prestigious non-Major tournament in golf. Instead, he tied for 46th, 13 shots back of the victor, Cameron Young. He was hampered by a back injury in the lead-up to the event.
That could force him to reevaluate how he does things before the Masters. If he plays, he might get into a rhythm leading in and avoid being rusty. If he rests, he might be a little healthier and more prepared for a grueling four days at Augusta.
Rory McIlroy evaluating all options
The next time we see Rory McIlroy may be at the Masters, where he'll be adorned as the reigning champion. He'll also get to host the Champions Dinner for the first time and dine with all the previous winners, including Scottie Scheffler, Tiger Woods, and Jon Rahm.
"I'll see how my body feels," Rory McIlroy said of his plans between now and then. "We'll see how I feel in practice and at home and if I get itchy feet at home maybe add an event at some point. I feel like it was important to make the weekend here and play an extra couple of days. I'm happy I got through four days and my body feels good."
He did add that he thought his game "progressively got a little bit better as the week went on," so he might not need to sit out. Perhaps playing is what will loosen up his back and better prepare him for the Masters.
"But yeah, really just see how the next week goes, see how once I get back to actually a full practice schedule and in the gym and stuff like that, see how my body reacts to that, and then I'll see," he concluded.
What's next?
The Masters is from April 9 to April 12. Between then and now, there are three PGA Tour events. None of them are Signature Events, but plenty of top golfers will use one or more of them to get a final tune-up for Augusta.
They are: the Valspar Championship (March 19-22), the Houston Open (March 26-29), and the Texas Open (April 2-5). Given the scheduling, if Rory McIlroy is going to play any of them, the Houston Open makes the most sense.
McIlroy finally got the monkey off his back last year. He finally won the green jacket that had eluded him in unfathomably cruel ways. He also won his first Major since 2014, so he broke the seal there, too. All in all, it was a huge breakthrough.
Now that he doesn't have that hanging over his head, he might be able to play freer and looser. That could be bad news for the golf world. If McIlroy was able to win with all the pressure in the entire world on him, how well might he play now that there's no pressure to do anything else?
The early odds have McIlroy with the second-best odds of winning at +850. Scottie Scheffler is +430. Ludvig Aberg (+1100) and Jon Rahm (+1300) are also in play.
