The Valero Texas Open, a tournament held the weekend before The Masters at TPC San Antonio, allows golfers to fine-tune their game in preparation for the most prestigious event. 2025 Masters Champion Rory McIlroy was not among the Tour players in the VTO field. Instead, he took the week off to rest and recover — a decision that contributed to his victory at golf’s most prestigious tournament.
McIlroy’s decision to rest was necessary, as he admitted to having trouble with an elbow injury following his finish at the Houston Open.
“My right elbow has been bothering me a little bit, so I’ll maybe just get some treatment on that and make sure that is okay going into Augusta,” McIlroy said. “As I went on during the week, I got better and better, as the scores suggest. It was a good week. Still stuff to work on but overall a solid week. Now, [I] have another week to get ready and fine-tune my game heading to Augusta.”
Without this recovery time, the five-time major champion would have likely run into trouble with a worsening elbow. Avoiding fatigue was a strategic move, as playing in back-to-back tournaments could have added unnecessary wear-and-tear ahead of the sport’s most important event.
Before McIlory’s win at The Masters, he had been bearing the burden of completing the grand slam through his 11 attempts. During the 2023 tournament, he missed the cut by just two strokes.
“I think it was a combination of a few things, and just after the disappointment of Augusta and how I played there, it was just more for my mental and emotional wellbeing. I just needed to be at home for those few weeks,” McIlory said of the 2023 Masters.
McIlroy needed a strong mindset going into the final round of the Masters if he wanted to win. Grouped with the most controversial LIV Golf Tour player, Bryson DeChambeau, it was more important than ever. This pairing was special, as McIlory sought revenge on DeChambeau from their bout at the 2024 U.S. Open. It was a gut-wrenching loss for McIlory, as he was attempting to obtain his first major in 10 years.
“That was just the game plan all week, and we wanted to get lost in it. We didn’t want to pay attention to what anyone else was scoring, or shooting, or swinging or how far they were hitting it — we just wanted Rory to play his game,” Bob Rotella, McIlroy’s sports psychologist, said on the silent treatment the Tour player was giving DeChambeau during the final round.
McIlroy finally accomplished a life-long dream, becoming the sixth golfer to achieve a grand slam, joining the likes of legendary players such as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. He did not obtain his masterpiece by coincidence, it was a product of his meticulous preparation that included the strategic decision to skip the renowned Valero Texas Open.
