Rory McIlroy’s preparations for The Masters may have been hindered by an elbow injury ahead of the major’s return next week.
McIlroy finished 15 under and tied for fifth at the Texas Children’s Houston Open this weekend with a strong finish on the final day.
The Northern Irishman produced an eagle and six birdies en route to carding 64 at the Memorial Park Municipal Golf Course.
It marks a strong run of form before The Masters gets underway on April 10 in Augusta, but McIlroy has revealed he has an injury issue.
Speaking to NBC Sports on Sunday about his plans for the coming week, he said: “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.
“But I’ve got my coach Michael Bannon coming in tomorrow, we’ll do some work and just make sure that everything’s in good shape for a week’s time.”
Despite the fitness concerns, McIlroy remained upbeat on his recent display: “The last three days were really good.
“I actually made a slight adjustment on my driver yesterday. I went on the range and took the loft off a little bit, and I definitely drove the ball better today
“So that was a positive, saw some putts go in and yeah, I felt like as I went on during the week I got better and better as the scores sort of suggest. It was a good week.
“I still feel like I’ve got some stuff to work on but overall, a solid week and nice to have another week to get ready and fine-tune my game going to Augusta.”
McIlroy will be making his 17th career appearance at The Masters next week and eyeing his first ever triumph in the tournament.
His best finish to date at Augusta National came in 2022 when he was runner-up to Scottie Scheffler.
Having won all of the other three majors in golf, victory in this year’s Masters would see the 35-year-old join an exclusive club.
A Career Grand Slam is when all four major tournaments are won in a player’s career.
McIlroy would hold the title alongside Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods if he wins The Masters.
It would end an 11-year wait for the fifth major on his CV.
He has already won The Players Championship this year, as well as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Although he has already made a scouting trip to Augusta, the 2025 Masters will prove tough against reigning champion Scheffler.
McIlroy is set to be involved in the chasing pack alongside Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau.
