Golf Apr 18, 2026

Rory McIlroy: Masters champion to return to Augusta for round after The Genesis Invitational

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Rory McIlroy: Masters champion to return to Augusta for round after The Genesis Invitational

Masters champion Rory McIlroy is heading back to Augusta next week but will first look to continue to "shake off the rust" at The Genesis Invitational.

The Northern Irishman has a round scheduled with his father, Gerry, and Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley as he takes an early look at the course where he will defend his Green Jacket in April.

"I'm going to go up there and play with the chairman next week actually," said the world No 2, whose previous return to Augusta was for some promotional work.

"It wasn't even a round. I was doing some filming up there.

"It was cool to get up to the champions locker room and see my nameplate alongside the other two champions that I share a locker with. It was somewhat nostalgic.

"I wouldn't say it was emotional but definitely there was nice memories; different feels the first time staying on site without having to need a member there.

"There's a lot of perks you get with being a champion.

"I was out on the course and was hitting some shots. They've moved the plate (on the 17th) back 10 yards to make it 10 yards longer but apart from that the course is pretty much the same."

But while next week's trip will be relatively informal in its nature, this week's second Signature Event of the season offers the chance to sharpen his competitive edge.

McIlroy finished five shots behind Collin Morikawa at last week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am after a level-par third round, which included a triple and double bogey, cost him a realistic chance of defending his title.

The Riviera Country Club is a more forgiving course and the world No 2 is looking to take advantage.

"I'm just sort of working through that first little bit of the year where you're trying to shake a little bit of rust off and you're trying to find your footing a little bit and sort of where your game is," added McIlroy, who played two events on the DP World Tour this year before his arrival in California.

"I learned quite a bit about my game last week, played well for a lot of it.

"Obviously made some big numbers which kept me from being right in contention on Sunday but I feel like there's enough good in there to be encouraged going into this week.

"There's more opportunities to make big numbers last week than there is this week. There's not hazards, there's not water.

"The fact that I'm hitting a lot of good shots and hitting it close and converting a lot of putts, that has to give me confidence for not just this week but going forward."

The PGA Tour stays in California for the Genesis Invitational, another Signature Event, with Tiger Woods' foundation hosting the event at Riviera Country Club and both Scheffler and McIlroy due to feature.

Ludvig Ã…berg returns as defending champion, with early coverage live on Thursday from 3.15pm on Your Site Golf ahead of full coverage from 9pm. or .

Tags:

golf news

Share this article

Related Posts

The Masters 2026 leaderboard: Final golf scores from Augusta National and tee times for opening major of the year

The Masters 2026 leaderboard: Final golf scores from Augusta National and tee times for opening major of the year

Final leaderboard from The Masters, the opening major of the year, held at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia.Rory McIlroy was defending champion af...

The Masters 2026: Justin Rose rues 'chance that got away' as Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton enjoy flying finishes at Augusta National

The Masters 2026: Justin Rose rues 'chance that got away' as Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton enjoy flying finishes at Augusta National

Justin Rose admitted it was a "chance that got away" as he once again missed out on Masters glory at Augusta National.The three-time runner-up led by...

The Masters: Rory McIlroy defends title and makes more major history after thrilling one-shot win at Augusta National

The Masters: Rory McIlroy defends title and makes more major history after thrilling one-shot win at Augusta National

Rory McIlroy became the first back-to-back winner of The Masters since Tiger Woods after coming through a roller-coaster Sunday to claim a one-shot vi...

Rory McIlroy's major wins: Every victory at The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and The Open so far

Rory McIlroy's major wins: Every victory at The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and The Open so far

Record-breaking victories, a career Grand Slam and going back-to-back at The Masters... we look back at all of Rory McIlroy's six major titles so far....

LIV Golf: Jon Rahm insists he's not 'too worried' about future of the breakaway competition

LIV Golf: Jon Rahm insists he's not 'too worried' about future of the breakaway competition

Jon Rahm, one of the biggest stars of LIV Golf, says he's not "too worried" about the future of the breakaway league despite speculation about its fin...

RBC Heritage: Matt Fitzpatrick leads by one shot after day two thanks to bogey-free round at Hilton Head

RBC Heritage: Matt Fitzpatrick leads by one shot after day two thanks to bogey-free round at Hilton Head

Matt Fitzpatrick ended day two of the RBC Heritage with a one-shot lead after carding an eight-under-par 63.The Englishman made eight birdies, includi...