Rory McIlroy: How hurricane damage has changed my Masters plan

Rory McIlroy will take more focused pre-Masters scouting trips as he believes damage caused by Hurricane Helene will make tangible changes to Augusta National.

Chasing the elusive Green Jacket that would complete his career Grand Slam, McIlroy has tried just about every tactic possible in preparation for the first major of the season.

Sometimes McIlroy plays a lot to get sharp for the Masters and on other occasions he has played sparingly to put all his efforts into getting the job done in Georgia.

But McIlroy has always been consistent in taking pre-tournament visits to prepare privately on the hallowed grounds in the weeks before the showpiece begins.

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That will be no different this time around, but McIlroy believes the devastating Hurricane Helene, which ripped through towns including Augusta in the Southeast of America last year, provides extra cause for visit.

“Yeah, I think it’s just going to be a little bit different this year,” McIlroy said after finishing tied 15th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday, “just with there’s some areas of the course that are maybe a little thinner tree-wise, just with the hurricane that rolled through.”

“Sixteen’s a new green. So, yeah, I’ll probably go up there once or twice beforehand.”

Fred Ridley, Augusta National’s chairman, has already stressed that despite aerial images of felled pines on the famed layout, the course will still be in “spectacular condition come April.

“I think we had minor damage to the course, the playing surfaces themselves, but we were able to get that back in shape,” Ridley said in January. “I don’t think you’re going to see any difference in the condition for the Masters this year.”

McIlroy, meanwhile, continues to see the value in early season Augusta visits as he prepares for his 17th Masters start.

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“I think it does help,” the 35-year-old said on Wednesday. “Because you can spend as much time as you want around there. Like on those days that you go up outside of the tournament, you’re not under any pressure from a time constraint, like having to get to media or having any other obligations.

“It’s funny. When you want to spend six hours on a practice round, it doesn’t feel like it’s that bad, but the week off, you don’t really want to be out there for six hours, and it feels a little different. So, I think being able to take your time away from the tournament and doing it is a nice thing.”

It is still unclear how many times McIlroy will play before pitching up at Augusta.

In his pre-round press conference at Bay Hill, McIlroy suggested he would make a decision on playing another event after The Players Championship at Sawgrass.

“But it really just depends on how these two weeks go and how I’m feeling about my game,” he added. “I would imagine I would add an event leading into there, it just depends on whether it’s [the Houston Open] or San Antonio [Valero Texas Open].”

Asked for an update after his final round 72, McIlroy said: “I’ll see how next week goes and then, yeah, just sort of see what I feel like and what I think I need. Nice thing is I don’t have to enter until the Friday before.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.