Last year, Rory McIlroy captured his second Players Championship title. One month later, he won the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. But now McIlroy’s chances for a Players-Masters repeat may be in doubt.
The reason? A new problem with his back. That physical issue forced a rare mid-tournament WD from McIlroy last week at Bay Hill. Now it might be threatening his hopes for a third Players Championship win.
Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis broke the news on Monday, sharing a text from McIlroy live on-air that revealed the five-time major winner’s back injury might be a bigger problem than his team previously thought.
Rory McIlroy’s Players in doubt? ‘Hope to travel to Ponte Vedra on Wednesday at some point’
One significant difference between the careers of Grand Slam winners Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods has to do with injuries. Tiger’s historic run has been constantly hampered by injury. McIlroy, on the other hand, has remained relatively unscathed.
Which is why when McIlroy suddenly withdrew from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational citing a back injury, it came as a shock. But it also led many McIlroy fans to hope Rory WD’d out of excessive caution, and that he hadn’t injured his back badly.
But on Monday, McIlroy provided the first clues that might not be the case.
During a Monday edition of Golf Channel’s “Live From the Players Championship,” Lewis shared the text he received that day from McIlroy.
In the text, as reported by Lewis, McIlroy revealed that his back issue was more “stubborn than we thought.” As a result McIlroy said he would delay his arrival at TPC Sawgrass for the Players Championship by two days.
Lewis read McIlroy’s full text aloud on Golf Channel.
“The back is being a bit more stubborn than we thought, so I’m staying at home today and tomorrow to continue treatment in South Florida with the hope to travel to Ponte Vedra on Wednesday at some point,” Lewis said McIlroy’s text read.
A few parts of McIlroy’s text raise alarm bells, and Lewis put a special emphasis on each when reading Rory’s message.
First, McIlroy said he would stay at home on Monday and Tuesday to “continue treatment” for his back. He also didn’t fully commit to arriving at the Players on Wednesday, but instead that he was undergoing treatment “with the hope” to make it to TPC Sawgrass by Wednesday.
He further muddied the waters by saying his arrival would happen “at some point” on Wednesday.
That last point is notable, if only because McIlroy is scheduled for a pre-tournament press conference at 7:45 a.m. ET on Wednesday morning.
Perhaps he’s just seeding the idea that he won’t make it to the Players in time for his early presser on Wednesday. Or maybe he won’t arrive at the Players at all this week.
