RORY MCILROY LOOKED as if he was carrying his good form from the end of 2016 into the new year.
However, while finishing as the South African Open runner-up in January, the Northern Irishman was suffering so badly with what he thought was back pain that he considered pulling out of the tournament.
Tests after the event revealed he actually had a stress fracture in his ribs, an injury that forced him to withdraw from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Dubai Desert Classic at the start of next month.
Now McIlroy has revealed he probably won’t play again until March, a month before the Masters as he’s struggling to even run at the moment.
He told Fox Sports‘ Shane Bacon on his podcast The Clubhouse:
“I’ve been walking. I can’t even run at the minute because if my feet hit the ground hard at all the vibration in my rib cage sort of hurts.
“I’ve been walking quite a bit. I’ve been walking 5-6 miles a day. I putted today for the first time. That’s the first little bit of golf I’ve done since I found out about this injury.
It probably started before Christmas. I hit a lot of balls in the offseason testing equipment, and I’m trying to make a little bit of a swing change as well. My takeaway was getting a little bit behind me at the start of the swing so I was trying to make sure the club stayed in front of me on the way back.
“On one of the drills I was doing, I was reaching a little bit with my left arm and extending. That’s basically what we think has happened. The combination of trying to make that small tweak in my swing and hitting a lot of balls.
“Testing drivers. Testing balls. The muscles basically said, ‘we worked hard, we don’t want to work anymore.’
“That puts stress on the joint. The joint is like: ‘I don’t like this either.’
“There’s a lot of stress and a just little bit of a fracture.”
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Should give him plenty of time on the putting green, thats where his biggest issue is
The Truth and Piotrek you both hurt my head with your idiocy
He needs to talk to Jordy Nelsons doctor!
goodman rory get the excuses for another failure in april in early.
Haha I love that a golfer is called a failure because he hasn’t won the masters by the age of 27..
he said himself he has failed at the masters.
Tiger Woods hold the best win percentage, about 25%. That means he spent 75% of the time losing. It’s a funny old game…
Ya, swinging a golf club is right up there with running. Like saying he can’t do the breast-stroke, let alone hit a pool ball.
Ever break a rib? Even bruised ribs are agony! Breathing hurts.
Sounds weirdly painful. There’s no treatment either, is there? One of those injuries where you just have to grit your teeth and endure it until it heals.
Question Piotrek. You know anything about ribs? I have unfortunately, broken several. Add to that a number of fractures and bruising episodes. All boxing released injuries. It is IMPOSSIBLE to laugh, cough and running is torturous. All this and no known quick fix. Just have to wait it out. Maybe if you experience it Piotrek, you might change your idiotic, ignorant tune.
Rory,
For godsake don’t use this to miss the wedding…