Rory McIlroy will bid to regain his world number one ranking from Tiger Woods ahead of the Masters in this week’s Shell Houston Open.
Woods returned to the top on Monday for the first time since October 2010 after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his third tournament victory of the year.
However, the American will not be playing again until the first major championship of the year, the Masters, which begins in Augusta on April 11.
It gives McIlroy the chance to move back to the top of the pile at the Augusta-like Redstone Golf Club, but to do so he must beat a strong field which includes last year’s winner Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Brandt Snedeker and Lee Westwood.
If, however, McIlroy does not win in Houston, he looks set to carry a relatively lower profile going into the Masters but that is something he admits he would relish as he looks to find his form after a difficult start to 2013.
“I didn’t think I could go into the Masters under the radar,” McIlroy said. “I can go in a little bit underneath Tiger. So, in a way, it’s not a bad thing.”
The Northern Irishman pulled out of the Honda Classic midway through his second round earlier this month after missing the cut at Abu Dhabi and losing in the first round of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, but then shot 65 in the WGC Cadillac Championship three weeks ago and believes he is near to overcoming his dip in form.
The winner of the Houston Open will earn the penultimate “win and you’re in” invitation to the Masters if they are not already eligible, with the top 50 players in the world also earning invites to the tournament.