Rory plans busy buildup to Masters

Rory McIlroy took off the final three months of the year to heal his body and clear his mind, and he appears eager to get back to work.

With a series of announcements over the last week, McIlroy revealed what likely will be his most ambitious schedule ahead of Augusta National in the 10 years he has been eligible for the Masters.

The most McIlroy has ever played before the Masters was seven tournaments — in 2009, the first year he was eligible for all four majors, and in 2016. Next year he is planning to play eight.

McIlroy, coming off his first winless year since 2008, will start the new season with two tournaments in the Middle East (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) before he embarks on a busy PGA Tour schedule. He will compete at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the first time, followed by the Genesis Open at Riviera and then play a third straight week at the Honda Classic, not far from where he lives in Palm Beach, Florida.

Most peculiar about McIlroy’s schedule is that he will skip the World Golf Championship in Mexico City to instead play the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook for the first time before heading to Bay Hill the following week. That’s two tournaments he has never played, and three courses (two at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am) that he will have to learn.

His manager said McIlroy would also play the Dell Match Play in Austin, Texas, where two years ago he reached the semifinals.

That means McIlroy will play three straight weeks (Pebble, Riviera, Honda), take a week off, then play another three weeks in a row (Valspar, Bay Hill, Match Play) before taking just a week off before the Masters.

Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that McIlroy’s best mate, Harry Diamond, will remain as his caddie. McIlroy split with JP Fitzgerald after the British Open, and Diamond worked for him the rest of the year.