Bizarre Players Championship Scenario – McIlroy Returns, Morikawa Retires.

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Has then been a more recent bizarre scenario than what unfolded early on the opening day at this week’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

Firstly, the golf world has been on virtual tender-hooks since Grand Slam winning Rory McIlroy was forced out ahead of the third round at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in suburban Orlando.

News surfaced McIlroy had felt pain in his lower back but for the next few days it was a scenario of whether or not McIlroy will be fit enough to tee-up in the defence of his Players Championship title.

The mystery continued unil mid-afternoon Wednesday when McIlroy arrived at TPC Sawgrass but electing to hit no more than a 6-iron and advising he would make the decision Thursday morning if he’ll tee-up.

Little known American David Ford was on stand-by to take McIlroy’s place should the Northern Irishman elect not to compete in the whopping $25m event but the withdrawal of Kiwi Grant Fox ahead of the start of play ensured Ford a tee-time.

With Ford assured a tee-time it meant the next reserve player was England’s John Parry, so the eight-time pro winner Parry, and who had earned his PGA Tour card via his sixth qualifying place via last year’s 2025 DP World Tour, would make his Players Championship debut should McIlroy choose not to tee-up.

However with McIlroy on the practice range, we witnessed World No. 4 Collin Morikawa grab his lower back after playing his practice shot at the 11th hole, and the second hole of the double major winner’s round.

Morikawa disappointingly was going no further and after advising his playing partners, he boarded a motorised buggy, while his caddy jumped on the back, and with both taken back to the clubhouse.

“I felt fine in warm-up. Like nothing’s been any signs of back problems.“ said Morikawa.  “I teed it up on 11, and took one practice swing, and I just knew it was gone. Like I just had the feeling before when it’s happened. And I just, I can’t swing through it. Trust me, I would play if I could. It’s just the worst thing in the world.

“I’ve had this stuff before, and been healthy all throughout the year, been moving weight and pushing, going fast. I don’t know, like, before I even took my practice swing, it’s like you had, like a weird, like deja vu thing.

“I took the practice swing and immediately knew, like, I just couldn’t get through impact. So at that point called over my trainer, and talked about it with my caddie Mark, and it just sucks. I don’t know how to put it in words

“It’s been awhile since it last happende. Like I said, like I’ve been really, really good with the body so far throughout the fall, and it’s been a little while. It’s just frustrating, because I don’t know what caused it. Maybe something wasn’t activated enough or what, but I went through all the warmups, felt fine.

“I just, yeah, it’s awful. I feel terrible“.

McIlroy was warmly welcomed on the first tee and to everyone’s delight was seemingly untroubled in finding the fairway, and minutes later walking off with welcoming par.

He faced a 78-foot birdie ‘4’ putt at the par-5 second that hit the flagstick leaving him a 3-footer for par before two putting the par-4 third hole for third straight par.

However McIlroy produced a wild tee shot left off the par 4, fourth hole so much so, he played a provisional off the tee.  Fortunately, spectators traced McIlroy’s ball that found heavy grass, left of the cartpath, but with no clear shot and 143-yards shy of the flag.

Mark McCumber, and winner of the 1988 Players Championship and the very first PGA Tour Bernie here at GolfByTourMiss attended, said in speaking on Sirius XM, that he’d never seen a golf ball as far left as McIlroy’s had landed.

It was sprinkling rain when McIlroy played his second to right of the green from where he chipped to 12-foot from where he two-putted for a bogey ‘5’ to be well outside the top-50 at one-over.

The rain was now falling heavier as McIlroy headed to the par-4 fifth hole.

 



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