Defending champion Rory McIlroy arrived at TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday after dealing with the back issue that forced him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge, and he suffered immediately.

McIlroy posted a two-over-par 74 on Thursday and later acknowledged that the lack of recent practice played a role in the slow start. 

McIlroy later explained how his limited preparation affected his performance during the Thursday press-conference.

“I felt like, it’s weird, I obviously played on Friday; it’s not as if I’ve taken a ton of time off. But just felt unbelievably rusty out there. I’m glad I got through the round.” 

The problem in his back is not structural damage. Instead, he described it as muscle tightness and fatigue affecting his lower back, glutes, and hip flexors.

Because of the discomfort, the 2025 Masters winner’s preparation was restricted. McIlroy skipped a full practice round at Sawgrass and only spent a short session on the range the day before the tournament, hitting roughly 30 balls while focusing mainly on short irons.

The Irish golfer also spoke about his approach heading into the next round and the opportunity he still sees in the tournament.

Rory McIlroy Remains Hopeful Despite Opening-Round Struggles at TPC Sawgrass

Twenty-nine-time PGA Tour winner then spoke about his plan for the next round and why he still believes he can move back into contention.

“Hopefully, tonight goes well, and I’ll get out there tomorrow, and I was trying to just get back to even par for the day on that back nine. Couldn’t quite get there. But starting with a couple of sort of birdie chances tomorrow on the back, so as I said, try to get it back to even par, and honestly, I don’t feel like I’m that far away.”

The thirty-six-year-old also reflected on how the scoring unfolded during the afternoon round while assessing his chances going forward.

“No one went really low this afternoon, which I expected them to, just because the conditions were pretty benign. So, yeah, if I can go out and shoot a good one tomorrow, I feel like I’ll be right in it for the weekend.”

Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, Sepp Straka, and Sahith Theegala completed their rounds at five-under 67 to share the lead. Austin Smotherman also reached five under but was through 17 holes when play was suspended due to darkness.

Just behind them, players including Justin Thomas and Russell Henley finished at four-under 68, keeping the field close after the opening round.

Do you think Rory McIlroy can bounce back at The Players Championship?

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Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar