HUMBLE, Texas — The march to the Masters for Rory McIlroy looks more like a crawl.
McIlroy only had four birdie putts on the front nine, none closer than 20 feet. He took two chips to reach the second green. He found the water on the third-easiest hole at Redstone Golf Club and made double bogey. What he salvaged yesterday in the Houston Open was a 73, along with some optimism.
“I think I’m still a little bit tentative on the golf course and not committing to my shots fully,” McIlroy said. “But I think that just takes time and, hopefully, another three rounds this week and some good scores will give me confidence going into the Masters.”
D.A. Points, using an old putter he once took from his mother, opened with five straight birdies on his way to an 8-under 64, giving him a one-shot lead over Cameron Tringale and John Rollins.
Also coming to life was Angel Cabrera, the Argentine with two majors and a house at Redstone. He had a 66.