Rory McIlroy battling injury with Masters 10 days away

LONDON – Four-time Major champion Rory McIlroy has revealed that he is dealing with an elbow injury, as he prepares to head to Augusta National for next week’s Masters.

The world No. 2 made a spirited run up the leaderboard at the Houston Open on March 31, carding a four-under 31 on the front nine that included an eagle. He had three more birdies before closing with a bogey to settle for a tie for fifth.

That performance was a big boost to the Northern Irishman as he aims to win his first Major since the 2014 PGA Championship.

But, despite shooting an impressive 65-64 over the weekend, he told NBC Sports that his right elbow has been bothering him.

“I will get some treatment on that and make sure that that’s OK going into Augusta,” he said.

McIlroy is not playing in this week’s Texas Open, giving him time to rest the elbow and work on a tweak he made to his driver following the third round in Houston.

“I just took a little bit of loft off it,” he said.

“I felt like it was getting a little bit spinny, especially if I wanted to hit cuts off the tee, so I took a little bit of loft off it.

“Definitely went through the wind better and felt a little more comfortable.”

Despite the elbow discomfort, McIlroy posted yet another strong result after scrambling a bit just to make the cut in Houston. The T5 adds to his pair of wins, along with a T4 in Dubai in 2025.

However, he said his game is not where he wants it to be as he chases an elusive Green Jacket next week.

“Still feel like I’ve got some stuff to work on,” he said.

“Still don’t think like my