World’s best prepare for Masters after golf course damaged by 2024 hurricane

• The first major championship of the golf season is less than two weeks away, and the world’s top golfers are getting ready. Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are using this week’s PGA Tour event to prepare.
• There are some minor changes to the course at Augusta National, which sustained damage from Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
• McIlroy took a detour to Augusta after his win at The Players championship on Monday, March 24, to play a practice round.

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Golf’s first major championship is less than two weeks away and the best are already honing their skills to make a run at the Masters green jacket. The top two players in the world, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, are playing in Houston this week to prepare.

Will Scheffler keep his No. 1 world ranking?

Depending on how they finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, they could switch places in the world rankings before heading to Augusta National for the Masters. Currently, Scheffler is No. 1 in the world, but his season got off to a slow start due to a hand injury suffered while cooking on Christmas Day.

His game is rounding into form, but he hasn’t won in six starts this year. On Wednesday, March 26, he talked about his state of mind and how he’s approaching the next 10 days.

“In the back of your mind, at all times, the majors are always kind of there,” Scheffler said. “The biggest tournaments for us are the majors and The Players and, you know, I think those are always the courses that kind of pop up into your head. So when you’re here with the Masters only being two weeks away, I think it’s very easy for us to look ahead towards the Masters, but I’m trying to do my best to focus on this week.”

How is McIlroy preparing for the Masters?

McIlroy took his preparation a step further. Coming off a win at The Players Championship last week, his second win of the season, he took a detour to Augusta National before heading to Houston. The famed course suffered heavy damage from Hurricane Helene in September 2024.

Hundreds of trees and powerlines were knocked down, and nearby homes were destroyed. Wednesday, McIlroy spoke to the Golf Channel about what he saw during his practice round and his motivation for visiting Augusta early.

“It’s always good to re-familiarize yourself with a place,” McIlroy said. “It looks a little bit different in some areas just because they lost a lot of trees during the storm in the fall of last year. There’s four new greens. One, eight, fifteen and sixteen are new greens. They’re sort of a couple little subtle changes there. But more so just like, you know, getting your game plan. I think it’s nice to go up early so that when you’re there the week of the tournament, you’re not under pressure to feel like you have to play 18 holes one day or you’re just not as rushed.”

Has the course recovered from Hurricane Helene?

In the aftermath of the storm, Fred Ridley, the chairman of Augusta National, was quoted as saying the course suffered “a lot of damage,” but in January he gave an encouraging update to reporters during a tournament in Argentina.

“As far as the impact, the long-term impact, we have not quite as many trees as we did a year ago. As far as the golf course goes, it’s in spectacular condition.” Ridley said.

The tournament begins April 10. Golfers in the field for the Masters typically take the week before the tournament off. That’s the case with the 2024 champion Scheffler and the four-time major winner McIlroy, no matter how they finish in Houston.

Scheffler is the leader in the clubhouse after the second round at the Texas Children’s Houston Open at 11 under par after shooting a course record 62 on Friday, March 28.

McIlroy has significant ground to make up in his second round. Play was suspended mid-way through Friday’s action because of thunderstorms in the Houston area.