Rory McIlroy explained his reasons for making a detour to Augusta earlier this week to get his bearings before the first Major of the year.
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Rory McIlroy will tee off in his 17th Masters in two weeks. As we know, he's just one victory away from a career Grand Slam. A win at Augusta would allow him to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods among those who have accomplished this feat.
Before playing this week's tournament in Houston, the world No. 2 made a detour to Georgia to play this course, which he knows like the back of his hand. He explained why.
I like being able to scout the course on my own, taking my time.
Rory McIlroy, statements
"I usually do these scouting trips to familiarize myself with the area. I was able to see the four greens that have been resurfaced, and I saw that some trees had disappeared. "These missing trees are the result of Hurricane Helene.
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Rory also explained that he enjoyed these solo scouting sessions. They're more relaxed for him.
"I really like the fact that I can play this practice round without an audience, without observers. I know that during the practice rounds before the tournament starts, I have a lot of commitments, a lot of media to meet, and it's harder to focus completely on scouting the course. I was able to take my time. It will be more complicated on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, just before the start of the Masters."
Rory McIlroy, born on May 4, 1989 in Holywood (Northern Ireland), is a Northern Irish professional golfer. As a young man, he quickly gained recognition for his golfing skills. He started as an amateur, winning the Junior Ryder Cup in 2004, playing in the Walker Cup in 2007, representing Ireland at the Eisenhower Trophy in 2006, and winning five tournaments, including the European Amateur Championship in 2006 (and the European Amateur Team Championship in 2007). He turned professional in September 2007 at the age of 18.
