Rory McIlroy was slowly finding his way up the leaderboards in the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational. But his campaign came to an abrupt end on Saturday. The World No. 2 was forced to withdraw ahead of his scheduled third-round tee time at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

“Rory McIlroy WD (back injury) prior to his third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard,” shared the official X handle of PGA Tour Communications.

The Northern Irishman was slated to tee off at 12:55 pm alongside Ryan Fox. But McIlroy unfortunately pulled out shortly before the round began. His withdrawal was confirmed shortly after he was seen leaving the practice range about 30 minutes before his scheduled start.

He began the tournament with a slow start on Thursday, leaving him tied for 33rd after the first round. He suffered a bogey on the par-4 8th hole after finding the water. However, soon after the second round came to a conclusion, he stood at T9 with a total of  4 under par. His withdrawal was confirmed shortly after he was seen leaving the practice range about 30 minutes before his scheduled start.

According to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, the four-time major champion was dealing with a back injury. That reportedly guided his decision to take a step back from the $20 million event.

“During his gym warm up at the @APinv Saturday @McIlroyRory tweaked a muscle in his lower back. He tried to work through it but ultimately decided to WD. Rory told me he could have possibly played through it but with @THEPLAYERS & @TheMasters coming up it was best to be cautious,” shared Todd Lewis on his X handle.

A decade back, in 2015, the Northern Irish golfer suffered from an injury that derailed him from playing the Open Championship for the year. He ruptured his ankle ligament while playing football with his friends, which stopped him from defending his title 

Such a setback comes less than a year after McIlroy managed a minor right elbow issue ahead of the 2025 Masters. A year after that, he is again struggling against an injury just a month before the 2026 Masters. However, despite the minor setback, he managed to secure his first green jacket last year and completed his career Grand Slam. But whether he would be able to do it yet again this year depend upon how serious his back injury is.

Meanwhile, as the golfing world will pray for his swift recovery, McIlroy might not have continued with his career after last year. That was until he met Roger Federer. 

Roger Federer inspired Rory McIlroy to keep going after the Masters win

It was a long wait for the former world number 1. 11 years to be precise. But once he had the dream of winning the elusive green jacket fulfilled, McIlroy was in a fix. Feeling content with his Career Grand Slam, the Northern Irish golfer realized that he had won almost everything he could in his golfing career. 

Immediately, such a sense of contentment made the golfer wonder what’s next for him. Thankfully, just as he was getting confused and lost his way, the world number 2 remembered a fellow legend. Roger Federer. Having toppled Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles, the Swiss maestro continued playing for many more years. 

Speaking on the Fried Egg Podcast, McIlroy revealed, “I actually had a chance to have dinner with Roger Federer a few weeks ago, and he framed the question a little differently to me, and it just made me think about it a little bit differently. And it had to do with Pete Sampras, and when he got to 15, which was past Pete’s 14, he’s like, ‘Well, 20 didn’t seem that far away.’ So, it’s the same thing for me.”

And with that renewed vigor, McIlroy now has a new goal. He wants to win the Career Grand Slam twice! Now, while it might sound pretty much of a stretch, considering the talent the Northern Irish star has, fans might be in for a wild ride. However, at the moment, all eyes will be on how fast he can recover and walk the green with his familiar aura again.