2024 Valero Texas Open: Top 10 power rankings at TPC San Antonio
3. OWGR: 2nd. FedEx Cup: 66th. Rory McIlroy. 2024TexasOpen/PowerRank/3
Rory McIlroy is a player who isn’t completely set in his ways as far as how he makes his schedule year in and year out.
The Northern Irishman can’t get to everywhere he’d ideally like to play, though he does make it a point to touch all four corners of the globe and support both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.
McIlroy is still taking on new events, as he recently announced he’ll make his Zurich Classic of New Orleans debut with Shane Lowry in a few weeks.
McIlroy also varies his approach to what he elects to do the week before a major. In the case of next week’s Masters, he often takes the preceding tournament off.
For the second time in the last three years, he’s chosen to compete at the Valero Texas Open.
His last visit at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course resulted in a missed cut after rounds of 73-72 (+1). McIlroy was only two strokes off the cut line and clearly wasn’t too far adrift considering he took solo second place the next week at Augusta National.
McIlroy does have good memories in the Lone Star State. He posted a solo second finish (72-67-71-66) at the 2013 Texas Open.
Could his first career win in the Lone Star State lead to his first green jacket next week?
“I think around the greens here is, it can prepare you. I think the runoffs around the greens, the undulations on the greens, some of the shots you face if you do, if you do miss it, I think that's -- and some of the bunkering around this course, the bunkers are pretty deep around the greenside,” McIlroy was transcribed by Tee Scripts in 2022 describing similarities between TPC San Antonio and ANGC.
“I think more so around the greens and sort of off the tee. This is a generous course off the tee, Augusta's somewhat generous as well, but it's just a different look. I think around the greens more sort of the chipping and pitching aspects are good preparation.”
McIlroy comes into the week with top-25s in each of his last four starts. The 34-year-old is well-rested with two weeks off since his last start at the Players Championship (T-19th).
He ranks second on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (.938).