After a year long battle with injury niggles and an up and down start to 2018, Rory McIlroy is ready to make his debut at the Valspar Championship.
McIlroy will play Innisbrook’s Copperhead course, home to the Snake Pit, for the first time as he joins a marquee field that includes Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Tiger Woods.
The Northern Irishman enters the week needing a solid showing after struggling in his first few US starts in 2018.
‘I started the year – well, sort of slowed down a little bit over the last three events,’ said McIlroy on his early showing on the European Tour’s Desert Swing.
‘I felt like the first time at Pebble – and Pebble is a little different. I don’t really look at that too much. I played at Riviera, felt on Saturday I could have shot a better score and could have gotten myself a little closer to contention and Sunday, and then the Honda was a tough week.
‘My swing got a little out of sync in the wind and made a couple of big numbers at 17 which didn’t help. So, I said this, yes, I hope the Snake Pit is better to me than the Bear Trap.’
With four Majors to his name, McIlroy revealed he made a trip to the site of the year’s first big one The Masters at Augusta during his week off.
The Green Jacket is the only accomplishment left unticked my McIlroy .
‘So, it’s been nice to have a week off and wind up at Augusta for a couple days and had a good time up there. Checked that out.’
‘The golf course is in great shape. They could have had the tournament in a couple of days’ time. That’s really a lot of grass.
‘When we go up there at this time of the year it’s a little softer, little slower, doesn’t really play like it does in the tournament but it’s still nice to go up there and play. We played it a lot. It was a nice trip.’
McIlroy can see some similarities between Copperhead and Augusta, making this week the perfect place to restore his world ranking which has slipped to 12th.
‘I feel especially with the second shots that you give yourself on this golf course, it sort of prepares you a little better than you play some of the previous events that we play.’
Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
