THE PGA Tour hits the The Lone Star State this week for the penultimate tournament ahead of the 2025 Masters. Rory McIlroy will tee it up at the Texas Children’s Houston Open as the part of his final preparations for next month’s Masters. The Holywood hotshot only added the event to his schedule last week as he wanted to play one event before the first major of the year. The four-time major winner is desperate for the green jacket as he aims to complete the Masters Grand Slam. And fellow PGA Tour pro Billy Horschel believes this week's course at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston couldn’t be better for McIlroy's preparation as he dreams of ending his 11-year wait for a fifth major. The Northern Irishman has had a stellar season to date after winning his second Players Championship and the Pebble Beach PRO AM. Down native McIlroy hasn't play this PGA Tour event since 2014, and now he'll play in the field alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler. Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, said the setup at Memorial Park plays right into McIlroy’s strengths. He said: “It’s a perfectly designed golf course for Rory. “When Rory was talking to me about it when we were discussing schedules at the end of last year, early this year, and he mentioned playing Houston, I said to him, ‘man, that course is right up your alley.’” “There’s a distance bias there. There’s a lot of holes where he can hit that nice, big, drawing driver. I’d suspect Rory has a very good chance to win. "I know Scottie Scheffler’s in the field, but with the way Rory’s been playing this year, it wouldn’t shock me if he went on to win this week.” Horschel added that the course’s green complexes will offer a solid warm-up for what lies ahead at Augusta. The American pipped McIlroy to last season's BMW Championship at Wentworth, and is well aware of the Northern Irishman's skillset. He added: “The greens are big and have some slope in them. Chipping around them and hitting shots into raised areas sort of gets you ready for Augusta a little bit. “It’s a good test, and if Rory wins, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.” McIlroy, 35, visited Augusta National on Tuesday before jetting to Houston for this week's tournament. The Houston Open runs from March 27–30, and with McIlroy and Scheffler headlining the field, all the action is live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday.