Rory McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational just minutes before his third round because of back spasms. While he reportedly took a step back to avoid aggravating the issue ahead in the season, he has been struggling with his shots in the Players. But amid this, McIlroy has firmly pushed back against claims that his recent back issues are connected to TGL.

“It’s a little more travel for the guys, a little more. To put it solely on that is preposterous. No,” said McIlroy, dismissing the blame put on TGL.

This discussion began when several observers quickly pointed to TGL as a potential factor, noting that a few of its regular participants have recently battled back discomfort. Not just Rory McIlroy, but other notable names from the tech league, including Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theekshala, Justin Thomas, and Billy Horschel, have been struggling against back issues and injuries.

As speculation grew around multiple players dealing with similar physical problems, McIlroy did not hold back. He even called the theory linking the league to injuries “preposterous.” But McIlroy rejected the narrative, arguing that the swing intensity inside the simulator-based league is actually lower than on the PGA Tour.

He even added, “My ball speed on Tour is way faster than it is in TGL”.

Being the defending champion of the PGA Tour’s flagship event, Rory McIlroy stepped in the greens aiming to secure a third victory at TPC Sawgrass. However, he failed to pull off a remarkable show and managed to make the cut at -1. Currently, he is tied for 52 alongside Scottie Scheffler with 1 over par. 

Meanwhile, he has reflected on the probable reason that could have derailed him from the tournament.

Rory McIlroy explains struggles after grinding through tough Players Championship round

The second round of the Players Championship turned out to be challenging for the Northern Irish golfer. McIlroy played the second round of the tournament and scored 71 strokes. Standing one stroke better than the par for the round, he has been trying hard to climb up in the leaderboards.

“I felt a little bit better. I would say if anything it was just I was struggling to trust everything was OK yesterday,” told McIlroy to Sky Sports, reflecting on his health. 

He analyzed his gameplay and added, “I struggled a little bit on lies that were beneath my feet and stuff like that, but today I felt pretty good and felt like I hit the ball well. I really just couldn’t get a putt to drop. That was the issue.”

He further added how he tried his best to secure a birdie at last and finally made the cut. Currently, Spanish star Ludvig Aberg is leading the scoreboard with -12, followed by Xander Schauffele and Cameron Young in second and third position, respectively.