ATLANTA – Rory McIlroy will compete in the Tour Championship with a back injury, according to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis.
Lewis noted that it was a “muscle issue” for McIlroy, who injured his back at home in Jupiter, Florida earlier this week.
Earlier this week @McIlroyRory injured his lower back. This is a muscular issue. This morning he came to East Lake, got treatment, and hit 20 balls which was the first time he hit balls this week. He will tee it up today for @TOURChamp but there may be discomfort.
– Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) August 24, 2023
McIlroy returned home after last week’s BMW Championship in Chicago, something he noted during his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday.
The Northern Irishman hit 20 balls on the range Thursday, per Lewis, while many top players spent more time warming up for their rounds on the practice field.
It was the first time all week that McIlroy had hit balls in practice. He appeared to giggle a few times after his swings as well.
But he practiced on the putting green Tuesday at East Lake.
McIlroy may have rushed the first round, hoping the discomfort wouldn’t force him to withdraw from the Tour Championship.
However, he is the defending champion and will give it a try.
But he also knows he can’t overdo it in the heat and humidity that has been holding back Georgia this week.
Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood spent more than 20 minutes on the range while Tony Finau worked on hitting draws with his driver. Both players hit well over 20 balls for their respective warmups. Matthew Fitzpatrick also spent a fair amount of time warming up, so it was interesting to see McIlroy hit less than two dozen golf balls.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check @_PlayingThrough too.