Rory McIlroy won almost everything in his decorated golfing career last year. Following his wait for winning the Career Grand Slam coming true, the Northern Irish star has been looking to replicate his stellar season from last year. Unfortunately, with injuries clouding his recent attempt at success, a recent injury update will clear things up for the fans. 

“After rest and treatment on his back @McIlroyRory plans to travel to Ponte Vedra Beach Wednesday to start preps for @THEPLAYERS. Mcllroy has not hit balls since pulling out of the @APinv but is feeling better each day. Likely will play The Players without a practice round,” wrote Todd Lewis on X. 

Surely, this is one of the biggest news coming from the center at the moment. Playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the former world number 1 had a slow start. But soon, he found his mojo and started climbing up the leaderboard. It was right at this point, news came in that McIlroy will not be taking any further part in the API. 

Withdrawing from the third round, the 36-year-old is said to have suffered a back injury during one of his workout sessions. Initially, after tweaking a muscle in his lower back, McIlroy wanted to power through the niggle. But soon he realized that doing this might hamper his future participation in more premium events like The Players and the Masters. 

Interestingly, the Northern Irish star will come to the TPC Sawgrass as the defending champion. Having mastered the dreaded 17th hole in 2025, he will look to make it two in two this year. A feat that only Scottie Scheffler has till now, when he won in 2023 and then defended the same in 2024. Overall, this will be McIlroy’s third Players’ win if he manages to do so. Before 2025, the star golfer also won in 2019.

Now, with the news of McIlroy getting the green signal will mean that the alternatives named will take a backseat. As per the rules of the tournament, the PGA Tour named Seamus Power and Patton Kizzire as alternatives to McIlroy, who had a ‘stubborn’ back, which hindered his participation. 

Meanwhile, despite the Northern Irish star being ready for TPC Sawgrass, playing against a stacked field without a practice round might prove to be tricky. 

Rory McIlroy’s stubborn back could disrupt Players Championship preparations this week

Although he is aiming to defend his title and match feat that has only been achieved by Scheffler, his back has not been supportive in recent times. Not only did his back issue force him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but it has also been taking longer than expected to heal and allow him the space to be back in the game with full strength.

“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,” said McIlroy to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis.

He reportedly tweaked his lower back muscle. And now that the muscle is being “stubborn,” he might be missing out on the practice session for the event. Missing out on the practice sessions might turn out to be crucial for the Northern Irish golfer as he would be facing a strong field at one of the toughest courses in the history of golf.

Practice rounds are typically held on Monday and Tuesday before the tournament begins. Alongside that, additional practices are often allowed on Wednesday at the TPC Sawgrass.