Rory McIlroy To Play Event For The First Time Since 2013

Rory McIlroy will play the week before The Masters in the Valero Texas Open. The 32-year-old has not played so close to the event for eight years, with the last time he played the week before the tournament being in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open in 2014. He finished that event tied for seventh, and the following week finished tied for eighth at Augusta.

Meanwhile, it’s even longer since McIlroy played in the Valero Texas Open. His last appearance came in 2013 when an impressive runner-up position was followed by a disappointing tie for 25th the following week at Augusta National. Nevertheless, McIlroy will be hoping that if he can put in a similar performance to his last outing at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course, it will stand him in good stead as he aims for his first Masters win. The closest he has come to date was in his tie for fourth place in 2015, while last year, McIlroy failed to make the cut for the first time since 2010.

McIlroy explained that he’s yet to decide whether to play the WGC Match Play that precedes the Valero Texas Open. However, he’s hoping the change of schedule will help him in his aim to become only the sixth player to complete the Grand Slam. McIlroy said: “I’m still on the fence about that one [the WGC Match Play], but I will definitely play San Antonio. If you don’t get through your group in the Match Play, it means almost two weeks off before arguably the biggest stroke play event of the year, and that’s a little too much for me. I’m going to play my way into the Masters”.

McIlroy is sure to face some high-quality competition in the event, which is celebrating its centenary and takes place between 28 March and 3 April. He’s currently one of four players in the top 20 to commit to the tournament, alongside Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and Abraham Ancer.