The timing of any injury is never any good but, in Rory McIlroy’s case, the muscle spasms in his back which forced his withdrawal from the Arnold Palmer Invitational couldn’t have come at a worse stage of the tour schedule: a week before his defence of The Players and a month before the defence of the Masters.
McIlroy suffered the injury during a warm-up session in the gym prior to his third round on Saturday and then had back spasms on hitting a few shots on the range. The Northern Irishman is set to have MRI scans and medical assessment is likely to undergo intensive physio over the next few days with the aim of defending The Players, the flagship event of the PGA Tour.
In an official statement, McIlroy said: “While warming up in the gym this morning [Saturday], I felt a small twinge in my back. I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back. Unfortunately, I’m not able to continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”
With just days before the flagship event at Sawgrass and weeks to go to the Masters at Augusta National, McIlroy will hope the injury is not a serious one. The world number two has had a quiet start to his year, with the API being just his fifth appearance following on from two events in Dubai on the DP World Tour and then two signature events on the PGA Tour, including a runner-up finish in the Genesis.
McIlroy has been relatively trouble-free from injury issues in a career going back to turning professional in 2007. The most notable was a leg injury playing five-a-side football with friends ahead of the defence of the 2015 Open.
On that occasion, McIlroy ruptured his left anterior talofibular ligament which forced his withdrawal from The Open at St Andrews and also saw him miss the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, which he was also defending. He missed five weeks of the season before managing to return at the US PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy hits a shot on the sixth hole during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Golf Course in Orlando, Florida. Photograph: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
The only other time in which McIlroy withdrew from a tournament on the PGA Tour came in the 2013 Honda Classic during the second round, at which point he was seven over and set to miss the cut. McIlroy withdrew citing a severe wisdom tooth pain on that occasion.
McIlroy, who is on 29 wins on the PGA Tour with that 30th career success tantalisingly within his reach, remains entered into The Players at Sawgrass. The tournament has a $25 million purse with $4.5 million to the winner.
Meanwhile, Leona Maguire struggled to a final-round 76 for a total of one-under-par 287 for tied-18th in the Blue Bay LPGA Championship in Hainan Island, China, 10 strokes behind winner Mi Hyang Li of South Korea.
Lauren Walsh, making her debut on the LPGA Tour, struggled over the weekend with rounds of 80 and 76 in the difficult windy conditions for 304, finishing in 75th place of those who made the cut.
On the Ladies European Tour, Áine Donegan closed with a final-round 76 for three-over 291 to finish in tied-32nd, 16 shots adrift of winner Kelsey Bennett of Australia.
Bennett had a four-strokes winning margin over English duo Caley McGinty and Meghan MacLaren to secure her breakthrough win on the LET.
With the victory, Bennett moves to the top of the LET order of merit and booked her spot for the AIG Women’s Open: “I’m just stoked to have managed to get it across the line. My biggest and best win so far. I couldn’t be happier, to be honest.”