Rory McIlroy is confident of defending his Players Championship title from Thursday despite withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational 35 minutes before his third round. The Northern Irishman suffered back spasms and was unwilling to risk appearances at the Players and next month’s Masters by playing at Bay Hill.
“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back,” McIlroy said. “As 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.”
After a fine 68 on Friday, McIlroy had been four under par and in contention. He headed to his home in West Palm Beach to rest and seek further medical advice before travelling to Sawgrass. This marks only the second time in his PGA Tour career that he has withdrawn from an event, the first since 2013.
McIlroy’s exit continued a theme of high-profile departures from Bay Hill, with Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Keegan Bradley among those missing the cut. Scottie Scheffler’s hopes of a third Arnold Palmer victory ended when he found water on the 18th hole, while Viktor Hovland’s 67 left him well placed for a Sunday surge.
