Rory McIlroy to play at Texas Children’s Houston Open after winning Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass

Rory McIlroy has committed to playing at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in what will mark his final start before competing at the Masters.

McIlroy is coming off the back of winning his second Players Championship after ousting J.J. Spaun in a three-hole playoff at TPC Sawgrass on Monday.

He said afterwards he would play one more time before heading to Augusta, where the Northern Irishman will once again be bidding to end his long way to complete the career grand slam.

“I think three weeks going in, it’s a little too much, so I’ll play one of the events in Texas, whether it’s Houston or San Antonio, I’m sure,” said McIlroy on Monday.

McIlroy launched an inspired final-day surge to turn a four-shot deficit into a three-shot advantage on day four at The Players, only for Spaun to take him into a fifth-day playoff following a lengthy delay due to the threat of lightning.

It was his second win on the PGA Tour of the season following his victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at the beginning of the year.

The Houston Open gets under way on Thursday March 27 and will allow McIlroy a week of rest before chasing the green jacket at Augusta.

It awaits as McIlroy’s first start at an event that was won by Stephan Jaeger last year, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler in a group of five players tied for second.

McIlroy’s best finish at the Masters came in 2022 when he flew up the leaderboard to finish second. His most infamous, meanwhile, came in 2011 when he surrendered a four-stroke advantage on the final day by carding the worst round in history by a player leading after the third round of the Masters.

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