Rory McIlroy’s status for this week’s Players Championship is now very much in doubt.
McIlroy had to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week with a back injury. He has been recovering at home since then and now won’t compete at TPC Sawgrass until Wednesday at best.
“The back is a little more stubborn than we thought, so I’m staying home today and tomorrow, continuing treatment in South Florida and hopefully heading to Ponte Vedra sometime Wednesday,” McIlroy texted Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis on Monday afternoon.
It marked the second time in his career that he had to withdraw from the PGA Tour before his third round due to a back injury on Saturday. He said he “felt a slight twinge” in his back while warming up in the gym that morning and began dealing with muscle spasms in his lower back while hitting balls at Bay Hill’s driving range. McIlroy was 4 under par at the time.
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McIlroy sounded as if his back wasn’t a major issue when he withdrew from the tournament on Saturday, doing so more as a precaution. However, Monday’s update doesn’t bode well for this week’s upcoming Players Championship.
If McIlroy does arrive at the course outside Jacksonville, Fla., on Wednesday and is able to play, that means he will almost certainly play without a practice round. While McIlroy is familiar with the course, it’s certainly not an ideal situation.
But with the Masters coming up in about a month, McIlroy may not be willing to deal with a back injury — even if the Players Championship is the highlight of the tour. Only time will tell if McIlroy is eligible to compete.
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Last year, McIlroy defeated JJ Spaun in a playoff at TPC Sawgrass to win the Players Championship. It was part of a three-win season before he finally won at Augusta National and completed the career grand slam. McIlroy, who has made three starts on Tour so far this season, finished tied for second behind Jacob Bridgeman at the Genesis Invitational last month.