Following his first round at the Players Championship, Rory McIlroy acknowledged he was battling back woes. Though he was able to play all four rounds at TPC Sawgrass, the admission was troubling, as the pain was radiating from the same troubled area that caused the four-time major winner to miss two months at the start of the 2017 season. McIlroy's MRI this week showed no new fracture, but a "low grade response" to the previous aliment. An injury, it turns out, that will cause more missed time.
On Friday, McIlroy announced that he will miss next week's European Tour BMW Championship due to his on-going rib issues.
"Having had a reaction to my earlier rib injury, I have been advised to take a conservative approach to my recovery which unfortunately means I have to withdraw from the BMW PGA Championship next week," McIlroy said in a statement. "It’s a disappointing decision to have to make, but I have to ensure I make a full recovery. I will now continue the process of preparing my game for the US Open and the rest of the season."
McIlroy initially injured his ribs testing out new equipment in December.
McIlroy did not mention a return date. The next likely appearance is at the Memorial, starting on June 1.
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