The world number two also revealed three other greens have had to be “redone” but admitted the main benefit of the trip was getting a look at the layout in relative privacy.
“It’s nice for me to play a practice round without people around and it sort of takes the pressure off the week for me,” added McIlroy.
“There are a lot of obligations, there are big commitments whether it be from media or the par-three tournament on Wednesday, so I just like to get up there and feel like I’m not rushed on the Tuesday, Wednesday the week of the tournament.”
But while the Masters is looming, and McIlroy will attempt to join an elite club that only includes Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, the four-time major winner insisted his focus is on clinching a third PGA Tour title of the season in Houston.
McIlroy won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month before his triumph at Sawgrass.
“It’s not as if I’m playing here this week and thinking about two weeks’ time,” he said. “I’m here, I’m in the present, I’m trying to do my best this week and trying to win this golf tournament.”
McIlroy has opted to play in Houston rather than next week’s Valero Texas Open after deciding one more competitive start would aid his Masters challenge.
“It was great to get a win a couple weeks ago but I still feel I could have played a lot better,” he added.
“I tried to poke holes in a lot of my game last week and think about things I could do better, and there were definitely things that I could work on or do better.”
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