HUMBLE, Texas (AP) ― When the scrutiny becomes suffocating, it’s a good time for Rory McIlroy to get as far away as he can.

So he went to a practice range on a public course.

Imagine the surprise of the paying customer at Miami Municipal Golf Course a few weeks ago who looked over to his left and saw McIlroy, still at No. 1 in the world and a two-time major champion, plop down a carry bag with a Manchester United logo.

“Why was that such a big deal?” McIlroy asked with a mixture of amazement and bemusement.

This was Wednesday at the Houston Open, where morning frost had caused a two-hour delay in the pro-am. Instead of retreating to the clubhouse dining room at Redstone Golf Club to order from the omelet station, McIlroy found a spare booth in the caddie trailer, where the fare ranged from scrambled eggs to peanut butter on toast.

Just one of the lads.

He made the cut on the number last week ― his first cut against a full field this year ― and was making a run up the leaderboard in the third round when he three-putted for bogey from 5 feet on the par-5 13th hole. McIlroy dropped two more shots and returned toward the bottom of the pack.

After lunch, it was back to work. He could have sought privacy at the far end of the range. Instead, he set up shop in front of a grandstand where 30 people took a seat to watch. Tom Gillis, a runner-up to McIlroy a year ago at the Honda Classic, came over and gave Boy Wonder a playful push.

There were more smiles than drops of sweat in this practice session.

McIlroy was hitting driver toward the end, picking out a barren tree on the horizon as a target for his draw. He was getting dialed in when caddie J.P. Fitzgerald said, “End it with a good one.” The shape looked to be perfect, and the caddie said, “Beautiful.”

“One more,” McIlroy said with a smile, and then he hit that one even better.

He walked over to the railing where a dozen kids had gathered, took out a pen and began signing. One of them was a photo of McIlroy posing with the U.S. Open trophy from Congressional, brown curls spilling out from under his cap.

“I can’t believe I looked like this,” he said. His hair is much shorter now. He’s more grown up. He turns 24 next month.

This is the state of McIlroy.

He tied for 45th in the Houston Open, and while that would normally be considered a pedestrian week, he considers it progress. He signed up for the Texas Open this week, wanting more competition before going to the Masters. Perhaps more telling was how much happier he looked than in recent weeks.

That wasn’t the case at the start of the year.

McIlroy is no stranger to attention, and he brought that on himself. Winning the U.S. Open with a record score. A relationship with Caroline Wozniacki, who was No. 1 in women’s tennis when they first started dating. Winning the PGA Championship by a record eight shots. Climbing to No. 1 in the world, and then winning three more tournaments against the strongest fields, made it look as if the kid would stay on top for years to come.