Rory McIlroy is not someone who will stay quiet if he doesn’t like something. Nor will he hesitate to take some action on it. For years, we have seen him completely ignore some events because the course wouldn’t suit his playing style. Back in the 2023 Phoenix Open, he admitted, “I struggle off the tee here.” His next move? Skipping the tournament in both the following years. He has the same view when it comes to rules as well.

The Northern Irishman is no stranger to being penalized and whether he likes it or not, he does accept it. In the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he took a two-stroke penalty on the 549-yard par-5 seventh hole for wrong drop because he didn’t know the rules had changed in 2023 that stipulated that– “A dropped ball can come to rest within one club length in any direction—even forward. But the drop has to originate on a line from the flagstick.” Of course, some of these penalties only add to the competition of the sport designed to make you lose.

Finishing with a tie at T5 in his debut at Memorial Park Golf Course event, he didn’t hold back on suggestions for the course setup. “I like the golf course. I wish there was a little more of a penalty if you miss off the tee. I feel like you can sort of stand up at every tee box and just hit it everywhere and be okay. If there was a little more penalty off the tee, it’s a very good golf course, but I feel that would make it a little bit better.”

The freshly minted PGA Tour winner of the event Min Woo Lee showcased grit and courage as he guarded off Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland with his consistency. However, it is hard to ignore about his stats. According to Taylor Wiliams of The 73rd Hole podcast, “Min Woo Lee, usually known for his driver being his strongest asset, only ranked 42nd off the tee this week at the Houston Open. He ranked 12th in approach, 15th in chipping, and 2nd in putting. This is a 26 year old with 190 ball speed and a great game to compliment. “

“Anybody that asks me about my schedule, I always make sure they know I’m playing Houston and it’s a good golf course. I don’t think that there’s a better prep golf course leading up to the Masters than Memorial Park. It’s a big golf course. I think they try to set it up where it’s similar to Augusta National maybe to have guys play. I know that was the case many years ago when it was at other golf courses. But I don’t think that there’s a better course to prepare for something like Augusta National than here.”

Will Rory McIlroy be back next year?

“I’ll definitely consider it. We’ve got that big stretch in Florida where we’ve got a couple of big ones with Bay Hill and THE PLAYERS. Then I’ve played Tampa before, I’ve obviously played here in Houston before, I’ve played San Antonio before. Each year I’ll probably play one of those three and just depending how I feel and how much time I feel I need at home and how close I need my competitive reps to be going into the Masters.”