"Still making a bit of a decision" - Rory McIlroy says he’ll ‘reassess’ his approach to the 2025 Masters

Rory McIlroy is still unsure how many PGA Tour events he will play before reaching Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. He is at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge for the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Speaking to the media, in a pre-tournament press conference at Bay Hill, he said that he wanted to reassess before making any decision on how to approach the Masters.

McIlroy was asked that while over the years, he has taken different approaches to preparing for Augusta — has that approach settled now, or does he have a different plan this year? To this, McIlroy replied, via ASAP Sports:

"Yeah, I'm still making a bit of a decision. I'm going to play these next two weeks, I'll see how these next two weeks go, then I'll sort of reassess. I don't like the idea of having three weeks off going into the Masters, so I may add one event, but I'm still between what event that may be.

"But it really just depends on how these two weeks go and how I'm feeling about my game. But I would imagine I would add an event leading into there, it just depends on whether it's Houston or San Antonio.”

By mentioning Houston and San Antonio, McIlroy referred to the upcoming PGA Tour tournaments before the Masters, scheduled from April 10 to April 13. The Texas Children’s Houston Open takes place between March 27 and 30, followed by the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio from April 3 to 6. One can conclude that McIlroy might play in one of these tournaments leading up to the Masters.

Apart from these two PGA Tour events, Rory McIlroy has two more options to consider as he prepares for this year’s Masters. In March, there will be The Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and the Valspar Championship at Palm Harbor, Florida.

The Masters is the only elusive Major for Rory McIlroy

The extra thought Rory McIlroy is putting into his preparations for this year’s Masters is because it is the only major he has yet to win. The Northern Irishman has played at Augusta National Golf Club fifteen times since turning pro in 2007. His best performance at the Masters came in 2022 when he finished second, losing to Scottie Scheffler by three shots.

Previously, in the 2015 Masters, McIlroy finished in fourth position. Last year, he tied for 22nd place with seven other players.

Overall, Rory McIlroy has four major wins—two PGA Championship titles (2012 & 2014), a U.S. Open title (2011), and The Open Championship (2014). This year, he has played in only two PGA Tour events before the Arnold Palmer Invitational, winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. At the Genesis Invitational, he finished tied for 17th place.