Rory McIlroy: Approaching the Players ‘one hour at a time’
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Defending champion Rory McIlroy stated on Wednesday that he is a game-time decision for the Players Championship as he manages a back issue, but noted that “all indications are pointing in the right direction” for him to compete on Thursday.
“I’ve got about, I don’t know, is it 20 hours until I tee off. So, yeah, we’ll see. I’m taking it sort of hour by hour,” McIlroy mentioned, who is set to tee off at 1:42 p.m. ET. “Hopefully a good night tonight. The medication is working wonders, and then just keep it going from there.”
McIlroy, who withdrew from the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday due to back spasms, did not arrive at TPC Sawgrass until Wednesday afternoon. He spent approximately an hour hitting shots intermittently in a secluded area of the range while his caddie, agent, and athletic trainer observed closely.
The five-time major champion only struck up to a 6-iron, he later stated, and took breaks to stretch and walk around. According to McIlroy, the injury was caused by an overextension of a hinge pattern during a gym session.
“It feels better. That’s all I can say,” McIlroy remarked. “Like I couldn’t stand to address the ball on Saturday morning on the range at Bay Hill, and it’s obviously improved since then.”
After withdrawing from the API, McIlroy drove to see his physiotherapist in West Palm Beach, Florida, and has been visiting him daily since, which has contributed to the improvement of his back. The reigning Masters champion indicated that he does not experience pain when swinging the club.
“I would say just more like sensitivity,” McIlroy explained. “I’d like to think that the sensitivity will decrease over time. Like I had this (at the) Tour Championship in 2023, and I remember on Thursday I was in significant discomfort and, like, chipping it around and got through the round, and I remember on Sunday I felt like a whole new person. So I’m hoping that it starts to progress like that.”
He added that it’s not the back itself that is flaring up but rather the muscles surrounding the area and his hip flexors that are “a little tight and a little angry.”
One consideration in McIlroy’s potential decision to compete is that this is not a course he is unfamiliar with. He has won twice at TPC Sawgrass and has finished in the top 25 on seven different occasions. Another factor is that the narrow corridors and challenging sightlines of the golf course often limit the use of the driver for some of the longest hitters. McIlroy currently ranks in the top 10 in driving distance this season.
“The nice thing is you don’t really need a driver around here that much, especially with how firm it is,” McIlroy noted. “But, yeah, obviously getting into the longer clubs is something that I’m going to have to try to do tomorrow.”
Following his shortened range session on Wednesday, McIlroy walked the back nine with just a wedge and a putter to familiarize himself with some of Sawgrass’s greens and the surrounding rough, as well as the differences in the course setup this year.
“It seems like a pretty different setup this year than what it’s been in previous years in March,” he said. “So I would much rather do sort of short game and putting on the course rather than on the practice area, just to get a better feel for the shots that you need.”
McIlroy mentioned that he has been informed by experts that he cannot worsen or aggravate the injury.
“It’s not structural, it’s not joint, it’s fine. It’s purely muscular sort of discomfort and fatigue,” he stated. “Things are getting better, but yeah, I don’t think it’s something where if I play I’m at risk of doing any damage.”
