Rory McIlroy to aim at lifting the Houston curse for the first time in 11 years

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy is confirmed to compete in the upcoming Texas Children’s Houston Open, a tournament he hasn't played in 11 years. McIlroy recently won the 2025 Players Championship after a playoff with J.J. Spaun.

Rory McIlroy’s professional golf career kicked off in 2007 and he now plays on the PGA Tour and European Tour. He has a total of 43 professional wins, including 28 on the PGA Tour and 18 on the European Tour. The 35-year-old pro golfer won the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014 and also won the U.S. Open in 2011.

Following his iconic victory at Players Stadium Course, the PGA Tour star will tee off in the Texas Children’s Houston Open scheduled to take place from March 27 - 30. This will be Rory McIlroy’s final start before heading to the 2025 Masters, which is set to begin on April 10.

The last time Rory McIlroy competed in the Houston Open was in 2014, where he finished at T7. The year before that, the Holywood-born golfer competed in the event and finished at T45. In 2010, he didn't make the cut and only competed in the first two rounds of the tournament.

The 2025 Texas Children’s Houston Open will take place at Memorial Park Golf Course. Rory McIlroy will compete against other top golfers in the event, including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, and Jason Day. They will play for the total prize purse of $9.5 million.

Last year, the 2024 Houston Open had a prize purse of $9.1 million. Stephan Jaeger, who won the event with 12-under, went home with $1.638 million.

Rory McIlroy’s 2025 Players Championship scorecard explored

Rory McIlroy started the final round of the 2025 Players Championship in a four-stroke deficit behind J.J. Spaun. However, he sunk a birdie on the opening hole and made an eagle on the second hole, which brought him to the lead. Another birdie on hole 16 forced him into a playoff with Spaun and he eventually won the tournament with 12-under.

The Northern Irish golfer's total score at the end of the 2025 Players Championship was 67-68-73-68-13. Here’s a look at Rory McIlroy’s scorecard from rounds three and four:

Round 3 (1 over-par 73)

• Hole 1 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 2 (par 5) - 4
• Hole 3 (par 3) - 3
• Hole 4 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 5 (par 4) - 5
• Hole 6 (par 4) - 3
• Hole 7 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 8 (par 3) - 3
• Hole 9 (par 5) - 5
• Hole 10 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 11 (par 5) - 5
• Hole 12 (par 4) - 5
• Hole 13 (par 3) - 4
• Hole 14 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 15 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 16 (par 5) - 5
• Hole 17 (par 3) - 4
• Hole 18 (par 4) - 3

Round 4 (4 under per-68)

• Hole 1 (par 4) - 3
• Hole 2 (par 5) - 3
• Hole 3 (par 3) - 3
• Hole 4 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 5 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 6 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 7 (par 4) - 5
• Hole 8 (par 3) - 2
• Hole 9 (par 5) - 5
• Hole 10 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 11 (par 5) - 4
• Hole 12 (par 4) - 3
• Hole 13 (par 3) - 3
• Hole 14 (par 4) - 5
• Hole 15 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 16 (par 5) - 5
• Hole 17 (par 3) - 3
• Hole 18 (par 4) - 4