Rory McIlroy withdrew from the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational just before the start of the third round on Saturday. McIlroy, who shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to move into the top 10 of the leaderboard, cited a back injury as the reason for his withdrawal.
After arriving at the course for pre-round warm-ups on Saturday, McIlroy felt discomfort in his back while trying to loosen up on the practice range. He withdrew about 30 minutes before tee time at 12:55 p.m. ET.
“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small pain in my back,” McIlroy said in a statement. “I started hitting balls on the practice range before my round and my symptoms worsened and developed into spasms in my lower back muscles. Unfortunately, I was unable to continue playing and had to withdraw. I was excited for this weekend’s competition. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great result and look forward to returning next year.”
The world No. 2 told Golf Channel that while he could have played through the injury, with big tournaments like The Players next week and the Masters a month later – McIlroy is the reigning champion of both tournaments – he felt the “risk wasn’t worth the reward” playing with cramps. Instead, he opted for rest and treatment so he can be ready for next week’s TPC Sawgrass.
This is the first time in 13 years that McIlroy has withdrawn during an event, the last time it happened at the 2013 Honda Classic.
It’s always a big concern when golfers deal with back pain and discomfort. Considering McIlroy was trailing by nine strokes in Saturday’s third round, the career Grand Slam winner clearly felt there was no point in pushing himself and potentially aggravating his injury.
McIlroy had already taken Monday off and was scheduled to arrive at The Players on Tuesday for a pre-tournament press conference scheduled for 7:45 a.m. Wednesday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
