Rory McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational before his third-round tee time on Saturday due to a back injury sustained during warm-up. The world No. 2 was tied for ninth at 4-under par after two rounds, nine shots behind leader Daniel Berger. McIlroy cited muscle spasms in his lower back as the reason for the precautionary withdrawal ahead of upcoming majors.
Rory McIlroy, the defending champion at next week's Players Championship and the Masters, pulled out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida, on March 7, 2026. The withdrawal came approximately 30 minutes before his scheduled 12:55 p.m. ET tee time alongside Ryan Fox.
McIlroy felt a twinge in his back while warming up in the gym that morning. As he hit balls on the range—skipping his usual putting routine—the discomfort worsened into muscle spasms in his lower back. In a statement released shortly after, McIlroy said: “While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back. As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back. Unfortunately, I’m not able to continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”
After opening with a 72 on Thursday, McIlroy shot a 4-under 68 on Friday, birdieing four of his last seven holes to climb into a share of ninth place. He trailed 36-hole leader Daniel Berger by nine strokes, with Berger at 13-under par. McIlroy told Golf Channel's Todd Lewis he could have played through the injury but chose caution with the Players Championship starting March 10 and the Masters from April 9-12 on the horizon.
This marks McIlroy's second mid-tournament withdrawal on the PGA Tour, the first coming at the 2013 Honda Classic due to a toothache. As he left the course, McIlroy gave a thumbs up and said he was “all good.” Austin Smotherman also withdrew from the third round citing a back injury after playing five holes.
Play was suspended Saturday due to darkness, with Berger leading at 13-under through 15 holes, two shots ahead of Akshay Bhatia. The third round resumes Sunday at 8 a.m. local time.
