Rory McIlroy reveals key issue that needs “a little bit of work” ahead of the Masters 2025

Rory McIlroy has revealed that his driving accuracy still needs some work ahead of the Masters 2025. He mentioned that he was having issues with chipping as well, but that aspect looked fine this week at the Texas Children's Houston Open.

On Saturday, March 29, McIlroy fired a bogey-free 5-under 65 to reach 9-under after the third round of the Texas Children's Houston Open 2025. He jumped 19 spots on Day 3 at Memorial Park, finishing eight shots off the lead.

During the post-round interview, the Northern Irishman was asked about the areas he wanted to fine-tune ahead of the Masters 2025.

"I wanted to see myself drive it a little bit better, which I haven't really seen." he replied. "It's hard here because, you know, it's so wide that it entices you to just stand up and try to hit it as hard as you can, so accuracy isn't a premium at all this week.

"Then I guess like short game-wise, like chipping, I wanted that to be a little better. I felt I was a little tentative with some chips at Sawgrass, but chipping's been really good this week. I scrambled well, so that's been good to see. Still feel like I need to do a little bit of work off the tee and sort of get the driver figured out," he added.

Rory McIlroy has had a mixed record at Augusta National so far. He has made 13 cuts in 16 starts and recorded seven top-10 finishes. In his past five starts, he has posted two top-5 finishes but also missed two cuts.

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Can Rory McIlroy win the Masters 2025? Early odds explored

According to early odds, Rory McIlroy is among the favorites to win the Masters 2025. SportsLine lists him at +700 to claim his first-ever Green Jacket, second only to Scottie Scheffler, who is +380 to successfully defend his title.

Here's a look at the early odds for the Masters Tournament 2025 (via CBS):

• Scottie Scheffler: +380
• Rory McIlroy: +700
• Ludvig Aberg: +1500
• Jon Rahm: +1500
• Collin Morikawa: +1700
• Bryson DeChambeau: +1700
• Xander Schauffele: +2100
• Hideki Matsuyama: +2400
• Justin Thomas: +2100
• Tyrrell Hatton: +3100
• Brooks Koepka: +3100
• Patrick Cantlay: +3200
• Cameron Smith: +3600
• Shane Lowry: +3600
• Will Zalatoris: +3800
• Jordan Spieth: +3800
• Viktor Hovland: +4400
• Tommy Fleetwood: +4800
• Joaquin Niemann: +5000
• Dustin Johnson: +5500
• Matt Fitzpatrick: +5500
• Russell Henley: +6000
• Cameron Young: +6000
• Tony Finau: +6500
• Sahith Theegala: +7000
• Tom Kim: +7000
• Wyndham Clark: +7500
• Sungjae Im: +7500
• Corey Conners: +7500
• Max Homa: +7500
• Sam Burns: +7500
• Jason Day: +7500
• Robert MacIntyre: +7500