Rory McIlroy said he was taking it “hour by hour” before deciding whether to defend his Players Championship title at Sawgrass on Thursday due to a back problem.
McIlroy, who withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday before his third round, completed a short practice session on Wednesday.
The world number two is scheduled to tee-off at 5:42pm GMT on Thursday and when asked if he was committed to playing, he told a press conference “we’ll see”.
He said: “It’s better. It’s better than it was. I hit up until a six-iron on the range there and it felt OK.
“I’ve got about, I don’t know, is it 20 hours until I tee-off, or until I’m supposed to tee-off (on Thursday)? So, yeah, we’ll see. I’m taking it sort of hour by hour. But it feels better. That’s all I can say.
“I couldn’t stand to address the ball on Saturday morning on the range at Bay Hill, and it’s obviously better than that.
“So, yeah, probably a game-time decision, but all indications are pointing in the right direction, so hopefully a good night tonight. The drugs are working wonders, and then just keep it going from there.”
The reigning Masters champion last dealt with significant back issues in 2023, when he recovered sufficiently to score four points for Europe in their Ryder Cup victory in Rome.
The 36-year-old, who made rounds of 72 and 68 at Bay Hill before the back issue flared up, had only withdrawn mid-competition once before in his PGA career, back in 2013 at the Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches.
He added: “I wouldn’t even call it pain. I would say just more like sensitivity. Like even just hitting balls there for a little bit, just feel like my muscles around the area just getting a little bit, like, fatigued.
“My right adductor started to cramp a little bit. But it’s fine; it’s expected. But more like sensitivity rather than pain.”
