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Rory McIlroy Arriving Late to Players Championship With ‘Stubborn’ Back

The world No. 2 withdrew before the third round last weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with back pain.
Bob Harig|
Rory McIlroy made the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational but withdrew before the third round.
Rory McIlroy made the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational but withdrew before the third round. | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Rory McIlroy’s back issue is bothersome that he doesn’t plan to arrive until Wednesday at TPC Sawgrass in hopes of defending his Players Championship title. 

McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational less than 30 minutes before his third-round tee time Saturday.

He cited tightness while warming up and said he withdrew for precautionary reasons. 

But McIlroy said Monday via the PGA Tour his back was being “stubborn” and that he’d stay at home for now. 

Prior to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the world No. 2 played in mid-February at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (finishing T14) and the Genesis Invitational (T2), the Tour's other signature events so far this season. He played two events in January in Dubai on the DP World Tour.

A year ago, McIlroy defeated J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate Monday playoff at the Players, then won the Masters in April.

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Bob Harig
BOB HARIG

Bob Harig is a senior writer covering golf for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 25 years experience on the beat, including 15 at ESPN. Harig is a regular guest on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio and has written two books, "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods" and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry." He graduated from Indiana University where he earned an Evans Scholarship, named in honor of the great amateur golfer Charles (Chick) Evans Jr. Harig, a former president of the Golf Writers Association of America, lives in Clearwater, Fla.

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