Before heading to Texas for the Houston Open last week, Rory McIlroy spent last Monday on an Augusta National scouting trip.
While using the visit to “refamiliarize myself with the place,” he told the media in Houston last Wednesday, McIlroy reported alterations to four greens and a “visual difference” to the 16th hole related to trees lost during Hurricane Helene last September.
“The hole will play – apart from maybe a few less shadows on the green late in the day because of a couple of trees that were lost, but apart from that, it’s pretty much the same,” said McIlroy, who later told Golf Channel that the altered greens were Nos. 1, 8, 15 and 16.
For McIlroy, the advance visit served to take the pressure off as he resumes his quest to complete the career Grand Slam at Augusta.
“There’s a lot of obligations, there’s big commitments whether it be from media or the Par-3 (Contest) on Wednesday,” he said. “I just like to get up there and feel like I’m not rushed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday the week of the tournament and that’s usually the reason I go there [in advance].”
KEYUR KHAMAR, PGA TOUR VIA GETTY IMAGES
As TGL wrapped up its inaugural season last Tuesday, creator Mike McCarley told The Palm Beach Post that the indoor league is “in the middle of an expansion process” and did not rule out a few additions for the 2026 season.
“We’ve had potential expansion team owners at every single match this season coming to visit us,” McCarley said. “Some of them, multiple times. Some of them have a lot of questions, a lot of feedback.”
McCarley also said the league has started talking to partners and has visited sites for a West Coast venue to complement the SoFi Center, its home arena in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, although admitted “that’s multiple years down the road.” READ MORE
PGA Tour veteran Adam Hadwin made amends last week for an embarrassing moment at the Valspar Championship the previous Friday.
Heading toward a missed cut in the second round at Innisbrook Resort, the 37-year-old Canadian slammed the ground with his wedge, only to hit an obscured sprinkler head, causing water to stream out in two directions. Hadwin tried to prevent the water from escaping with his foot, to no avail. To make matters worse, the moment was caught on video and made the rounds on social media.
In a message posted on X last Friday, the tournament reported that Hadwin paid for sprinkler repairs, sent a video message and bought lunch for Innisbrook’s entire course maintenance department. READ MORE
Early last year, two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer had pledged to compete one last time at Augusta National, but a torn Achilles tendon last February kept him out of last year’s tournament. Now back in action, the PGA Tour Champions stalwart has been gearing up for what figures to be his Masters swan song.
“So I’m not going in there with a mindset of winning anymore. That train has passed,” the 67-year-old Langer told the Desert Sun. “But trying to still perform and show some good shots and hopefully be there on the weekend.”
Langer acknowledged his return from injury has been challenging. “I’m not 100 percent and maybe I never will be, but walking is still difficult,” he said. “So I’ve been riding a cart for the most part – well, walking 18 holes. I can walk, I’m OK walking nine holes, but then I get a little fatigued and stiff and all that kind of stuff. It’s still a process trying to get better in that department.” READ MORE
Tap-Ins
LIV Golf releases trailer for upcoming all-access documentary series inside the league, its players and teams called “LIV to Win,” which will premier April 7 on FS1. “It’s like the Kardashians, but better,” says Bubba Watson. READ MORE
Defending champion Akshay Bhatia and last year’s runner-up Denny McCarthy will headline this week’s field at the Valero Texas Open. Other notable commitments include Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Åberg, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Max Homa, Tom Kim and Hideki Matsuyama. READ MORE
Homa and Wyndham Clark will be a part of ESPN’s broadcast of the Masters Par-3 Contest, marking the first time current players will be analysts for the contest. READ MORE
Elvis Smylie, a 22-year-old Australian, clinched the PGA Tour of Australasia’s 2024-25 Order of Merit, thereby earning a berth in this year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush. READ MORE
Keith Waters, the European Tour Group’s longest-serving executive, will retire in July. Waters, 67, will step down following the Open Championship at Royal Portrush after nearly 47 years as a player and administrator. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity