Rory McIlroy was forced to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday after suffering back spasms while warming up, casting doubt on his participation in the upcoming Players Championship and The Masters.
The Northern Irishman did not make his third-round tee time at Bay Hill. “While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back. As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back,” McIlroy said in a statement to the PGA Tour. “Unfortunately, I'm not able to continue and have to withdraw.”
It is only the third time in McIlroy’s PGA Tour career that he has pulled out mid-tournament. He previously withdrew from the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2009 with flu and food poisoning, and from the Honda Classic in 2013 citing a sore wisdom tooth, later apologising and saying his head was not in the right place.
The injury comes just a week before the season intensifies at TPC Sawgrass for the Players Championship, and with McIlroy set to defend his Masters title from 9 April after completing the career grand slam at Augusta last year. He added: “I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”
