Rory McIlroy has made yet another trip to Augusta, with the opening major championship of the season at the Masters now just one week away.
McIlroy will be gunning to win the famous green jacket for the first time and finally complete the career Grand Slam, and has been ramping up his preparation in recent weeks. Having won four major titles in four seasons in the early 2010s, the Northern Irishman has not won a flagship event since his victory at the PGA Championship 11 years ago.
Rory McIlroy made the trip to Augusta (Image: Getty Images)
The Masters is of course, the one title missing from his glittering CV, and to ensure he is primed and ready to compete come next Thursday, it appears he has opted to once again visit the iconic Georgia course. According to Radaratlas2 on X, McIlroy’s private jet arrived at Augusta on Monday morning, having headed straight to Georgia from Houston, having competed in the Texas Children’s Houston Open over the weekend.
It comes after McIlroy revealed that he played a practice round at Augusta last week. The 35-year-old is a man in form, having won both The Players and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this season.
His impressive run continued in Houston on Sunday, after he ended the tournament in a tie for fifth, as Min Woo Lee won his first PGA Tour title at Memorial Park. Speaking after his final round, McIlroy revealed he had some things to work on and had called in the help of his coach Michael Bannon.
McIlroy clarified he would be “working from home” and made no mention of a trip to Augusta. “[I] still feel like I’ve got some stuff to work on,” he told reporters. “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.
Rory McIlroy played in Houston ( Image: Getty Images)
“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.” Despite being the man in form on the PGA Tour, there was some cause for concern with the trip down Magnolia Lane around the corner.
During his TV interview on Sunday, the four-time major champion admitted he felt some discomfort in his right elbow and would be seeking some treatment on the issue over the next week. I think just working on a few things,” he told NBC of his Masters prep over the next week.
“My right elbow has been bothering me a little bit, so maybe just get some treatment on that and make sure that’s OK going into Augusta. I’ve got my coach Michael Bannon coming in tomorrow – we’ll do some work and make sure everything is in good shape for a week’s time.”
