Rory McIlroy (back) calls himself ‘game-time decision’ for Players

Defending champion Rory McIlroy will be a game-time decision on Thursday at The Players Championship.

The World No. 2 from Northern Ireland only arrived in Ponte Vedra Beach late Wednesday afternoon after withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday when he overextended his back while warming up in the gym.

McIlroy spoke to reporters at TPC Sawgrass after testing his swing in the practice area for about 25 minutes.

"It's better. It's better than it was. I hit up until a 6-iron on the range there and it felt OK. I've got about, I don't know, is it 20 hours until I tee off, or until I'm supposed to tee off tomorrow. So, yeah, we'll see. I'm taking it sort of hour by hour. But it feels better. That's all I can say. Like I couldn't stand to address the ball on Saturday morning on the range at Bay Hill, and it's obviously better than that.

"So, yeah, probably a game-time decision, but all indications are pointing in the right direction, so hopefully good night tonight. The drugs are working wonders, and then just keep it going from there."

McIlroy said he wasn't able to do much since seeing his physio Saturday, but he isn't dealing with pain at the moment.

"I would say just more like sensitivity," he said. "It's not really on the site, or like it's sort of more like the big -- like even just hitting balls there for a little bit, just feel like my muscles around the area just getting a little bit, like, fatigued. Right adductor started to cramp a little bit. But it's fine; it's expected. But more like sensitivity rather than pain."

McIlroy won last year's event in a playoff against J.J. Spaun. Like Scottie Scheffler (2023, 2024), McIlroy is a two-time champion, having first prevailed at the PGA Tour's flagship event back in 2019.

Only Jack Nicklaus has ever won the tournament three times.

"I've been playing here since 2009, so it's not like I don't know the place," McIlroy said. "We're going to go walk nine holes now with a wedge and a putter just so I can get a feel for the rough around the greens and how firm the greens are. It seems like a pretty different setup this year than what it's been in previous years in March."

He added that he is confident the sensitivity will go down over the week, having dealt with something similar at the 2023 Tour Championship, and there isn't a concern of aggravating his back.

"It's not structural, it's not joint, it's fine," the five-time major winner said. "It's purely muscular sort of discomfort and fatigue. So there's nothing I can -- I don't think, and what I've been told, obviously I'll listen to the professionals -- but there's nothing that I can do that's going to harm that."

--Field Level Media