McIlroy commits to Texan Open

Rory McIlroy yesterday decided to commit to play in next week’s Valero Texas Open.

McIlroy, currently competing at the Shell Houston Open, notified tournament officials through his management that he would be headed to San Antonio.

Players had until last night, roughly 30 minutes following completion of the second round at the Houston Open, to commit to the San Antonio PGA Tour stop.

“We’ve been quietly working with him and his manager for the last several weeks,” Larson Segerdahl, tournament director for the Texas Open, said yesterday.

The Texas Open takes place Thursday through April 7 at AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio.

“He wanted to get in a few more rounds before Augusta,” Segerdahl said, referring to the Masters, which takes place April 11-14 at Augusta National in Georgia.

“He made the decision on the golf course today, after a back-and-forth discussion with his manager,” Segerdahl added.

McIlroy joins a Texas Open field that includes No. 9-ranked Matt Kuchar, along with notables such as Darren Clarke, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Padráig Harrington and Jim Furyk.

McIlroy, meanwhile, has vowed to get himself out of a ‘Dufnering’-like mode and display more aggression over the final two rounds of the Shell Houston Open.

It was though all of Houston, and America’s fourth largest city, was willing McIlroy on to birdie at least one of his closing seven holes and he did so, at his penultimate hole, in carding a 70 for a one under par tally.

And in the Masters scheme of things there could not have been a more important 18 holes of golf, and with the last thing McIlroy needing before the season’s first Major and that was the weekend off in suburban Humble.

‘Dufnering’ is a craze that’s swept the Houston event and originates from a picture taken of American Jason Dufner sitting on a floor and looking totally ‘out of it’, but then little did golf’s most laidback player expect the picture to start a craze.

McIlroy put a Dufner impersonation photo on Twitter while Masters champion Bubba Watson has a shot of himself in ‘Dufner’ position beside his General Lee Dodge Charger.

“It’s the best thing I ever saw, and I’ve never had so much entertainment going through all the ‘Dufnering’ YouTube clips last night in my hotel room,” said McIlroy.

But on a more serious note, McIlroy confessed he continues to be too tentative and holding back on his shots but now that he is assured of two more Houston Open rounds, he needs to get with the Texas catchphrase — ‘Everything is big in Texas’.

“I’ve found myself holding back a bit and that’s something I wasn’t doing at Doral, and maybe it’s because I haven’t played a tournament in a couple of weeks and I’m just trying to ease my way into it a bit more,” said McIlroy.

McIlroy commenced his round from the 10th hole at one over and finally managed to make his way into the red with birdies of four feet at the 15th and of 18 feet at the next.

He was forced to take a penalty drop after an errant drive right off the second tee — his 11th hole — and from there it was an anxious closing seven holes, not only for McIlroy but for coach Michael Bannon and the hundreds of fans following the Irishman’s group.

“I noticed that I was T77 when I walked onto the seventh green [his 16th] and I knew I probably needed a birdie coming in and which I was able to do,” said McIlroy.

He achieved that goal at the next, the par-five eighth hole. He hit a 280-yard fairway wood to 84 feet to just short left of the green, from where he putted up to four feet before sinking the putt for birdie.

Then at the last, McIlroy’s birdie putt shaved the hole leaving him sharing 53rd place as the afternoon half of the field took to the course.

“It was a little better and there was a lot more consistency, and there wasn’t that many loose shots in there, and I managed to hit more greens and give myself chances for birdies,” he said.

“My game feels good but there were a couple of swings out there that I was a bit tentative on and if I just let them go I will be fine.”

Fellow Irishman Shane Lowry was out in the second last group of the day and starting his round at one under par.

Steve Wheatcroft, with a pair of 67s, held the clubhouse lead at 10-under par, two clear of Londoner Brian Davis (67 & 70), and with both players yet to win on the PGA Tour and looking for a victory that would qualify them for next month’s Masters.