Rory McIlroy's title defense at The Players Championship faces uncertainty after a lower back injury forced him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The world No 2 experienced muscle spasms during warm-up and has been receiving treatment since Saturday, with his arrival at TPC Sawgrass delayed. His pre-tournament press conference was rescheduled as he continues recovery.

McIlroy's caddie Harry Diamond has been scouting the course in his absence, while Golf Channel reports the five-time major winner plans to arrive Wednesday after showing daily improvement. The injury is described as muscular rather than structural, with McIlroy telling reporters the issue has been 'more stubborn than anticipated.' He intends to hit balls on the practice range before his opening round rather than play a practice round.

The Northern Irishman is scheduled to tee off Thursday at 1:42pm local time alongside Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama. A victory would make McIlroy only the second player to defend The Players title and the first three-time winner in tournament history, joining Jack Nicklaus. His last win came in a Monday finish against JJ Spaun, exactly six years after his 2019 victory.