Rory McIlroy’s hopes of defending his title at The Players suffered a setback when the build-up was disrupted and his arrival delayed by a “stubborn” back injury.
McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational ahead of Saturday’s third round after feeling a “small numbness” in his lower back during warm-ups before experiencing “muscle cramps” on the practice field.
The world No. 2 was expected to be available for this week’s TPC Sawgrass, but his travel to the PGA Tour’s flagship event has been delayed as he continues to deal with issues.
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Rory McIlroy was forced to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a lower back injury just before the start of the third round.
“My lower back is a little more stubborn than I expected, so I’m going to stay home today and tomorrow and continue my treatment in South Florida with the hope of getting to Ponte Vedra sometime Wednesday,” McIlroy said in a text message to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis.
A visit to The Players on Wednesday revealed McIlroy may only play one practice round, if any, ahead of the start of his title defense on Thursday, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Could Rory McIlroy be forced to miss his title defense at The Players?
McIlroy is scheduled to tee off at 1:42pm local time (5:42pm UK time) on Thursday, as part of a high-profile group coverage that includes two-time major champion Xander Schauffele and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama.
He looks to join Scottie Scheffler as the only players to have defended a title at The Players, but a win would put McIlroy on par with Jack Nicklaus as the only three-time champions in tournament history.
McIlroy is a three-time winner of The Players and will be aiming for his first win of the year.
McIlroy defeated J.J. Spawn in a playoff to win last year’s tournament on Monday, six years after hoisting the trophy in 2019. The Northern Irishman completed the Grand Slam at the Masters a month later.
When will The Players be broadcast live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports Golf will once again be home to The Players, broadcasting over 40 hours of live golf over four days, with plenty of additional live programming during tournament week.
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Ahead of The Players at TPC Sawgrass, see all the televised holes-in-ones on the iconic 17th hole
“Live from The Players” will bring you the latest news from TPC Sawgrass on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m., ahead of live coverage of the tournament starting Thursday.
Featured Groups, along with Featured Holes, will be available on Sky Sports+ throughout the week, and you’ll enjoy a bonus feed on top of the feed available each week during PGA Tour coverage.
Coverage begins at 11.30am on Thursdays and Fridays and at 1pm on weekends with Sky Sports Golf highlights and extra shows. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
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