Rory McIlroy was a surprise WD just before his third round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The Masters champion was looking to make a charge over the weekend at Bay Hill after edging inside the top-ten with a 68 on Friday.

He was four-under at the $20million Signature Event and nine shots behind halfway leader Daniel Berger.

But just half an hour before his third round tee time with Ryan Fox, McIlroy withdrew from the tournament citing a back injury.

“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back,” McIlroy said in a statement.

“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.”

According to the Golf Channel‘s Todd Lewis, McIlroy said that he could possibly have played through the injury but decided against the risk.

McIlroy defends his Players Championship title at TPC Sawgrass next week, and with major season right out around the corner, he has decided to return to his Florida home to recover.

Rory McIlroy reveals why he’s jealous of Scottie Scheffler as retirement update given

Rory McIlroy occupies second spot behind Scottie Scheffler in the world rankings but the American has been top dog for years

Rory McIlroy has wondered aloud if Scottie Scheffler’s quiet life has helped the American reach the top of his sport. Scheffler has been golf’s top-ranked player for nearly three years straight, though McIlroy has beaten him to some prestigious titles including the 2025 Masters.

Northern Irish star McIlroy feels he may well have a different personality to his rival when it comes to distractions away from the course. However, he admitted to being a little jealous of the way Scheffler can shut off outside noise and focus on the task at hand.

“He doesn’t have many distractions. He lives a relatively simple life where he could live a very — he has got access to everything and everyone in the world if he wants it, but he chooses not to go that way. I think that works in his favour,” the 36-year-old told Fried Egg Golf.

He added: “I admire him so much for that because I’ve experienced in this world where you can be pulled in so many different directions. You have all these other opportunities that you can go and chase. I have quite a curious mind, so I do go and chase those, but then sometimes I do look at Scottie and be like, you know, maybe I wish I didn’t have so much going on because it works for him so well.”

Scheffler picked up his first win of the season – and 20th on the PGA Tour – at the American Express in January. McIlroy is still waiting for his first victory of 2026 but came close at the Genesis Invitational, finishing just one shot behind winner Jacob Bridgeman.

The Ryder Cup stalwart pulled out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the eleventh hour due to injury, prompting questions about whether he will be back to full fitness in time for the Masters in April. He might not have too many more years competing for top honours, having previously indicated he didn’t want to still be playing golf at 46 – something he addressed in the same Fried Egg interview.

View 2 Images

Scheffler and McIlroy faced off at the 2025 Ryder Cup(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

“I’ve said a lot of absolutes in my time that I’ve had to walk back, which I will totally admit, but I’ve long held that view (about retiring before the age of 46),” he said. “I have the incredible privilege of being in three of the four majors until I’m whatever age, however long I want to play, so if those become the highlight of my golfing year from a tournament perspective, that I will be so okay with.

“I don’t want to be a touring professional golfer for the rest of my life. I want to do other things. I want to see the world, and I don’t want to see the world just through the lens of golf courses and hotels. I want to actually see the world.

“Being a professional golfer is an amazing life, and I’m incredibly lucky, but at the same time, there’s things that I haven’t done that I would like to do. I’ll spend a lot of my time doing those things.”