The Players: Rory McIlroy suffers setback with 'stubborn' back injury and faces race to be fit for TPC Sawgrass title defence
Rory McIlroy looks to follow Scottie Scheffler in becoming a back-to-back winner of The Players; McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational ahead of his third round due to injury; watch The Players live on Thursday from 11.30am on Sky Sports Golf
Tuesday 10 March 2026 19:21, UK
Rory McIlroy's hopes of defending his title at The Players have suffered a setback after seeing his build-up disrupted and his arrival delayed by a "stubborn" back injury.
McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational ahead of his third round on Saturday, having felt "a small twinge" in his lower back during his warm-up before experiencing "muscle spasms" on the range.
The world No 2 was expected to be fit to feature at TPC Sawgrass this week, although has delayed his travel to the PGA Tour's flagship event as he continues to deal with the issue.
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In a text to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis, McIlroy said: "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."
Travelling to The Players on Wednesday sees the possibility of McIlroy playing only one - if any - practice round ahead of his title defence getting under way on Thursday, live on Sky Sports.
McIlroy was due to hold a pre-tournament press conference at 7.45am on Wednesday morning (11.45am UK time), but the PGA Tour confirmed on Tuesday morning that won't take place and his media availability is now listed as "to be decided".
The five-time major winner is scheduled to tee off at 1.42pm local time (5.42pm UK time) on Thursday, as part of Featured Group coverage alongside two-time major winner Xander Schauffele and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama.
He is looking to join Scottie Scheffler as the only player to defend his title at The Players, while a victory would see McIlroy join Jack Nicklaus as the only three-time winner in the tournament's history.
McIlroy defeated JJ Spaun in a play-off to win last year's edition in a Monday finish, six years to the day after he lifted the trophy in 2019. The Northern Irishman went on to complete the Grand Slam a month later at The Masters.
McGinley: McIlroy won't jeopardise Masters defence
Paul McGinley admitted he would not be surprised if McIlroy withdrew from The Players, given the close proximity of the tournament to the defence of his Masters title at Augusta National.
Asked whether McIlroy could perform after making a late arrival to TPC Sawgrass, McGinley said: "He turned up to the Ryder Cup in the back of a police car 20 minutes before his tee time and won his game, so if anybody can turn up unprepared…
"He's not an overly structured guy. Some players have to be on site early and their heads go into a wobble if they're not able to prepare. Rory is the kind of character who could roll up and play well, even if it happens to be Thursday morning, so I'm not going to discount it.
"I would say, more than anything, precaution will be taken. If there is any hint the spasm is still there, I would not be surprised to see him pull out because the Masters is on the horizon, and while this is a huge event, we know the Masters is more important to him."
Commenting on the state of McIlroy's game, McGinley added: "I've watched Rory in the TGL and he's flying. He's in good form, he's really strong mentally and he's certainly reset himself.
"He's talked a few times about winning the Grand Slam twice and that's great. He's moved on from last year, he's had a think about things, reset his goals.
"He's in a really good place, his game is in great shape and he's had some decent performances so far this year. He's poised and ready."
When is The Players live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports Golf will once again be the home of The Players, with over 40 hours of live golf across the four days and a host of extra live programming available during tournament week.
'Live from The Players' brings you the latest news from TPC Sawgrass from 1pm on Tuesday and 11.30am on Wednesday, ahead of live tournament coverage starting on Thursday.
Featured Groups will be available on Sky Sports+ throughout the week, along with Featured Holes, with bonus feeds to enjoy on top of the feeds available each week during PGA Tour coverage.
Coverage begins at 11.30am on Thursday and Friday before starting at 1pm over the weekend, with highlights and additional shows on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.
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