HOUSTON: Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy play their final tuneups for the Masters at this week’s PGA Houston Open, seeking a title while preparing for Augusta National.
McIlroy, who won the Players two weeks ago after taking the Pebble Beach crown last month, is making his first Houston trip in 11 years and playing the course for the first time.
“It has been a great start to the season for me and I want to continue it,” McIlroy said.
But the 35-year-old from Northern Ireland visited Augusta National this week to start preparations for the Masters, the only major title he needs to complete a career Grand Slam.
“I use those trips just to refamiliarize myself with the place, clubs off tees, looking to see if they changed any greens,” McIlroy said.
“There are four greens that are new this year that they’ve redone. You have a look at those and see if there’s any new hole positions they give you, stuff like that.
“Honestly for me, it’s nice to play a practice round without people around and it sort of takes the pressure off the start of the (Masters) week for me.”
His time in Houston, however, is about competing and trying to add another title to his season before his quest for a green jacket resumes.
“I just want to get a card in my hand and shoot scores and hopefully get myself in contention and try to win another golf tournament,” McIlroy said. “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, I’m trying to do my best this week and trying to win this golf tournament.”
Repeated shotmaking under tournament pressure is on McIlroy’s mind.
“I want to keep playing well, so I think every round you play where you see good things you’re filling up that confidence bucket a little bit, so I want to see that,” he said.
“It was great to get a win a couple weeks ago but I still feel I could have played a lot better. I tried to poke holes in a lot of my game last week and think about things I could do better, and there were definitely things that I could work on.
“It’s a good opportunity to go out and see if some of the work I did at home and I’m continuing to do here... is all going in the right direction.”
Scheffler was the runner-up in Houston last year, a season in which he won nine titles include Olympic gold and his second Masters title.
But Scheffler missed the first month of this season with a hand injury and is only now getting back to normal form.
“Feeling pretty good. Excited about the stuff we’re working on right now and game feels like it’s in a good spot. Definitely excited to get the season going this week,” he said.
He finds Houston’s Memorial Park course a worthy place to prepare for the challenge of winning a third Masters in four seasons.
“With it being rye grass in the fairways now I think definitely improves the prep for the Masters, it’s a similar grass to what we see at Augusta,” Scheffler said.
“It’s also a big golf course. You’ve got to hit it far out here, so there is definitely some similarities and good preparation between here and Augusta.”
Like McIlroy, however, Scheffler is concentrating on winning this week before trying for another major win.
“I try to focus as much as I can on the tournament at hand,” he said.
“I think in the back of your mind at all times the majors are always kind of there... so when you’re here with the Masters being only two weeks away, it’s very easy for us to look ahead. But I’m trying to do my best to focus on this week.”
