Rory McIlroy withdraws from Arnold Palmer Invitational due to back injury

Rory McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational just ahead of his third-round tee time on Saturday due to a back injury. McIlroy was seen warming up on the range in his usual manner ahead of the third round. He even hit a few balls and initially looked in good touch. However, some discomfort appeared to trouble him, and he soon decided to head back. Shortly after, news broke that he had withdrawn ahead of his tee-off time.According to Todd Lewis of Golf Channel, Rory McIlroy tweaked something in his lower back at the gym and withdrew as a precautionary measure. As McIlroy stepped into a BMW, Golfweek asked him if he was OK. He responded with a thumbs up and said, "All good."According to Brentley Romine of Golf Channel, McIlroy "went straight to the range instead of putting first, like he usually does, and hit balls for a couple of minutes before making the call."According to CBS Sports, McIlroy felt the “risk wasn’t worth the reward” in playing through back pain, especially with several big tournaments coming up in the next few weeks.This is not the first time Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from a tournament midway. His only previous withdrawal during PGA Tour competition came during the 2013 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. McIlroy was 4-under for the tournament, nine shots behind 36-hole leader Daniel Berger at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. A strong second round by McIlroy had brought him into contention and raised hopes of potentially catching the leader, Daniel Berger. Berger posted an impressive -13 to boast a strong advantage at the top.McIlroy, the 29-time PGA Tour winner, currently sits 13th in the FedExCup standings this season. The legendary golfer is scheduled to defend his title at The Players Championship next week at TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2018, is the defending champion at next week’s Players Championship. He will also compete at the Masters Tournament next month.Rory McIlroy was not the only player to withdraw from the third round due to a back injury. Austin Smotherman, who held the 54-hole lead at the Cognizant Classic last week before finishing tied for second, withdrew about an hour earlier.The total purse at the Arnold Palmer Invitational is $20 million. The winner will receive a whopping $4 million, while more than $2 million will go to the runner-up and $1.4 million will be awarded to the third-place finisher.Also read: Justin Thomas sums up tough return at Bay Hill: “These scores are a lot lower than I thought they would be”