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The last leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is underway, and Rory McIlroy seems to have drawn the short end of the stick this weekend. Teeing up for the Tour Championship already comes with its fair share of pressure and now McIlroy is under duress due to a bad back.
Rory McIlroy has won the Tour Championship three times, and knows the layout of the Atlanta course quite well. However, when he stopped swinging clubs during the practice rounds, the golf world knew something was up.
According to Golf Digest, Rory McIlroy is suffering from a muscular injury in his lower back since last week.
Todd Lewis of the Golf Channel confirmed via his Twitter handle:
"Earlier this week @McIlroyRory injured his lower back. It’s a muscular issue. This morning he arrived at East Lake, received treatment, and hit 20 ball which was the first time he hit balls this week. He will tee it up today for @TOURChamp but may have discomfort."
He sustained the injury while he was at home, but did not mention anything during the press conference. However, the Northern Irishman still teed it up on Thursday alongside Jon Rahm in the second-to-last pairing. It was evident that he was in pain as he began his first round, but has managed to keep everything under control so far.
Rory McIlroy risks plummeting down FedEx Cup board if he were to withdraw from the Tour Championship
Rory McIlroy is currently third in the FedEx Cup rankings but if he were to withdraw from the event at any point during the weekend, he would immediately drop to 30th in the FedEx Cup rankings. While that would still earn him $500,000, it is quite far off from the $18 million that he is targetting.
McIlroy will be looking to get some much-needed rest after the Tour Championship as the dates for the Ryder Cup slowly come closer. McIlroy and Rahm will be two of the key players that spearhead the European team in the biennial cup.
Seeing McIlroy's long history with the Tour Championship, he will fight to stay in the game as long as possible. However, the Ryder Cup, too, comes as a priority for McIlroy, who hopes to lift the trophy with the European Team.
