Rory McIlroy withdraws from Arnold Palmer Invitational wi...

What’s Happening

Real talk: Its the first time in 13 years that McIlroy has stepped away from a tournament after teeing off Rory McIlroy withdraws from Arnold Palmer Invitational with back injury, hopes to play at The Players It’s the first time in 13 years that McIlroy has stepped away from a tournament after teeing off By Robby Kalland Mar 7, 2026 at 12:51 pm ET • 1 min read Rory McIlroy withdrew from the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational just before the start of his third round on Saturday.

McIlroy, who shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to move himself into the top 10 of the leaderboard, cited a back injury as the reason for his departure. After arriving at the course for his preround warmup on Saturday, McIlroy felt discomfort in his back while trying to loosen up on the range. (let that sink in)

He withdrew about half an hour before his 12:55 p.

The Details

2 told Golf Channel that he potentially could have played through the injury, but with big tournaments like The Players next week and the Masters in a month — McIlroy is the reigning champion at both tournaments — he felt the “risk wasn’t worth the reward” to play through back pain. Instead, he opted for rest and treatment so he can attempt to be ready for TPC Sawgrass next week.

This marks the first time in 13 years that McIlroy has withdrawn during an event, last happening at the 2013 Honda Classic. Any time a golfer deals with back pain or discomfort, there is always an elevated concern.

Why This Matters

Considering McIlroy was trailing entering Saturday’s third round, the career grand slam winner clearly felt it wasn’t worth trying to push through and potentially worsen his injury. McIlroy was already planning to take Monday off and arrive at The Players on Tuesday with his pre-tournament press conference scheduled for 7:45 a. On Wednesday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Sports analysts are already debating what this means for the competition.