Rory McIlroy made his first appearance on the PGA Tour since his T-8 at the WGC-Cadillac. He posted a one-over par 73 on Thursday but shot a much more respectable two-under par 70 on Friday to get to one-under par and make the cut on the number.

McIlroy has struggled this year with a missed cut in Abu Dhabi, losing in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play and walking off mid-round at the Honda Classic.

His second round on Friday included a bogey at No. 2 but birdies at Nos. 8, 15 and 16 showed improvement and will allow him to play on the weekend.

This was only his ninth competitive round of 2013. He is not really tournament tough heading into the Masters in two weeks.

McIlroy realizing that he needs competitive reps announced today that he will play next week in the Valero Texas Open. He had refused to add an extra event to his schedule after Doral when the Arnold Palmer Invitational would have been an obvious choice.

Steve Wheatcroft leads the Shell Houston Open at 10-under par. He has shot a pair of 67’s and it is the first time he has led a PGA Tour event.

Charles Howell III, currently ineligible for the Masters, shot an even-par 72 on Friday to remain at three-under for the tournament. He needs to finish in the top-5 to have a chance to move inside the Top-50 in the Official World Golf Rankings and qualify for Augusta.

Phil Mickelson’s first round 72 included a double-bogey at No. 5 on Thursday. He made another double-bogey on No. 5 again in the second round on Friday but made five birdies to post a one-under par 71 and make the cut.

The fast undulating greens at Redstone Country Club puts a premium on avoiding three-putts and chipping.