McIlroy may not play any more golf in 2017

Rory McIlroy cast doubts on whether or not he will play any more golf in 2017, admitting that he was still suffering with back spasms and a numbness in his left arm after a disappointing outing at the fourth major of the year

The former World No.3 told reporters he was unsure of his playing schedule yet for the rest of the year, and said there was a possibility he may not be able to defend his FedExCup title.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” McIlroy said. “You might not see me until next year. You might see me in a couple of weeks’ time. It really depends.”

Despite a solid final round three-under-par 68 that kept him in the top 25 of the PGA Championship, McIlroy complained of injury and said that he had plans to fly back to Northern Ireland to meet with his fitness coach and assess his options for the rest of the season. 

“Just sort of have a chat with him about it and see what we need to do going forward,” McIlroy said. “But the more I play, it’s just not allowing that time to heal 100 percent.”

McIlroy has been struggling all season and has taken lengthy spells off ever since picking up a first rib injury at the South African Open in January. Although he returned to the PGA Tour in March and posted three top-10 finishes which included a T7 at the Masters, he admitted that by the Players Championship he was still struggling.

A spell out to recover and get married seemed to help McIlroy, but he said that he had too quickly rushed back in to practice instead of gradually easing his way back. 

“I didn’t build up the volume gradually,” McIlroy said. “I went from zero to hitting balls from 3-4 hours a day. That aggravated it a little bit.

“I just haven’t allowed it the time to fully heal. I wanted to play the season. I feel like I’m capable of playing well and winning and putting rounds together. If I want to challenge on a more consistent basis, I need to get 100 percent healthy.”

McIlroy is the defending FedExCup Champion, but it looks unlikely he will be able to defend his title in 2017. The playoffs begin Aug. 24 at Northern Trust followed by the Dell Technologies Championship.