The two biggest names playing at the Texas Children’s Houston Open see the same demand this week.

“You’ve got to hit it far,” said world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

“Bombs away,” said FedExCup leader Rory McIlroy.

The 7,475-yard Memorial Park Golf Course opened 89 years ago in a 1,500-acre urban green space, long before distance mattered as much as it does in modern golf. Now, after a renovation in 2019 by architect Tom Doak, the popular municipal course is, at its highest, 115 feet above sea level. Also, spring in southeast Texas is muggy and moist. (And the forecast for the week calls for rain.)

All of these particular facts contribute to a certain appeal for players who drive the ball long and true. Scheffler, the top-ranked golfer in the world, sits sixth in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. Right behind him is world No. 2 McIlroy, first in the category and fifth in Driving Distance, averaging 315 yards a swing.

The two played nine holes Wednesday morning in a pro-am, then shared their thoughts on the first tournament since the swing through Florida. The Masters Tournament is two weeks away.

Two-time Masters champion Scheffler called Memorial Park “a big golf course,” with “similar grass to what we see at Augusta.” McIlroy, who has won every major championship except the Masters, saw “a perfect golf course” for long hitters. Scheffler is making his sixth start in the tournament and finished second last year, while McIlroy, who won THE PLAYERS Championship last week and hasn’t played the Texas Children's Houston Open in more than a decade, is making his first start there since the renovation.

“I think it’s generous,” McIlroy said. “It’s generous off the tee, but (the) second shots really challenge you and challenge you to really think about where you want to place your ball after that.”

“Good preparation between here and Augusta,” Scheffler acknowledged.

It’s been a relatively underwhelming beginning to the 2025 season for Scheffler, a Texan whose best finish in five starts is a tie for third at The Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. He won seven tournaments and the Hero World Challenge in an historic 2024 campaign during which he led most of the most meaningful statistical categories on the PGA TOUR, but a bad hand injury in December delayed his return.

He said Wednesday that he felt “excited about the stuff we’re working on right now.” He added that his game “feels like it’s in a good spot.”

McIlroy, on the other hand, has been, well, otherworldly.

The 28-time winner on the TOUR has won twice in 2025 — last week and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He’s been inside the top 20 in all four starts. Every facet of his game is humming, including his work on the greens. He ranks 10th in SG: Putting and looks in many ways like the Rory McIlroy of old: Confident over every shot, capable of excellence in every swing.

“Competitive reps,” McIlroy said. “I’m obviously playing well. I want to keep playing well. So I think every round you play, where you see good things, you’re sort of filling up that confidence bucket a little bit. So I want to see that.”

So does Scheffler, of course.

“Just kind of dialing things in,” he said. “Still working on numbers. ... Definitely excited to get the season going this week.”