Rory McIlroy battled through a soggy Thursday morning at Memorial Park Golf Course, posting an even-par 70 in his final tune-up before the Masters Tournament. The overcast, dreary conditions matched his scoring in the opening round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Playing with preferred lies in place, McIlroy managed just two birdies against two bogeys, leaving him five shots off the early lead.
“Yeah, a little pedestrian, I guess is a good way to describe it,” McIlroy said. “We sort of had to deal with those conditions early on, rainy and not too pleasant to play in. Made a few par saves early on that I needed to and then had quite a few chances on the second nine there that I didn’t convert.”
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Rory McIlroy
257
125
$90,989,348
The Northern Irishman hit 8 of 13 fairways and 12 of 18 greens in regulation. His stats tell the story – he gained 0.79 strokes off the tee but lost 1.89 strokes on the green. That putting performance explains why those back-nine opportunities slipped away.
McIlroy’s ball-striking improved once the weather temporarily cleared midway through his round.
“I drove it better once I got my rain gear off. Couldn’t really find the middle of the club face for the first few holes,” he explained. “Once it brightened up and as the conditions got a little better, I felt like I drove it pretty well.”
This performance comes after McIlroy spent the week following his Players Championship victory trying to “poke holes” in the parts of his game that needed attention. With Augusta National looming in two weeks, he’ll need to sharpen those areas quickly.
McIlroy finished his round just as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was teeing off. The two will flip tee times on Friday, with McIlroy going off at 2:03 p.m. EDT. More rain is in the forecast, but unlike Thursday, thunderstorms could disrupt play.
