Rory McIlroy is out of action until The Masters.
That’s almost unprecedented for McIlroy, who usually has a set way that he likes to prepare for major championships. Usually, he plays two weeks before a major, but this year he’ll have a three-week break before arriving at Augusta National.
McIlroy has been nursing a back injury of late. He was forced to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational because of this, and arrived late at The Players Championship. He didn’t practice at The Players and didn’t know whether he’d be playing until the day of the tournament.
This is likely the reason that McIlroy is taking this break, but what he did immediately after The Players is bad news for Tiger Woods’ hopes of teeing it up at Augusta this year.
Why Rory McIlroy’s pre-Masters schedule is bad news for Tiger Woods
Despite McIlroy’s injury troubles, he still played in his TGL Semi-Final for Boston Common GC just days after The Players. It’s an indoor league, so it’s less strenuous on the body. The lack of walking makes it a stark contrast from Augusta’s undulating fairways.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Woods. He said that he’s hoping to make his long-awaited return to golf at The Masters after undergoing back surgery in October, but we’re three weeks away and Woods still hasn’t confirmed if he’s playing.
He was asked about this at TGL, as his Jupiter Golf Links made the Final without him playing, and Woods said he’s been trying to return to play in TGL: “I think that I have been trying to play each and every one of these matches. I’ve been trying to come back. But it just hasn’t worked out that way.
“I’ve had a bad run of injuries last year. I think it’s been a year and a few days since I blew out my Achilles. And so then I’ve had two back operations. So it’s been a little rough go. But the guys here, this team, we have so much fun, I really don’t want to screw up the lineup, I just want these guys to keep playing.”
Woods also said that some days he struggles to move, which isn’t a great sign for Augusta. McIlroy, who is also carrying a back injury, was still able to play in TGL before his three-week break. The fact that Woods wasn’t is a sign we won’t see him play at The Masters.
What Tiger Woods said about his current health three weeks before The Masters
Woods’ description of his current health status isn’t exactly encouraging either. He was asked how likely it is that he’ll play at Augusta, and he said, “I said I’ve been working on it. Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. Disk replacement is not a lot of fun.
“So Will Zalatoris went through it, he had two levels done, and it takes time. So as I said, I’ve had a lot of procedures prior to that, so the body doesn’t quite heal like it was when I was 24. Doesn’t quite bounce back.
“So I have good days when I can pretty much do anything, and other days where it’s hard to just to move around.”
All the signs are pointing towards Woods not playing at Augusta, but hopefully we’ll see him in action soon after that.
