Rory McIlroy, the fourth-ranked male golfer in the world, hinted Sunday he might skip the rest of the 2017 schedule to recover from a back-muscle injury.
McIlroy, winner of four major titles, finished out of the hunt at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, going 1-over for the tournament. After shooting a round of 68 Sunday, which included four birdies, McIlroy said he feels frequent pain and numbness, resulting from a muscle injury in the upper left area of his back.
"Right now, I can feel my left rhomboid going into spasm," said McIlroy, from Northern Ireland. "Inside of my left arm goes numb."
McIlroy has felt this pain to varying degrees since the spring. It has limited his practice routine and could shut him down for a considerable time, based on comments Sunday.
"Look, I don't know what I'm going to do. You might not see me until next year," McIlroy said. "You might see me in a couple of weeks' time. It really depends."
McIlroy said he hasn't consulted with a doctor recently, despite the pain being a constant after he practices or plays.
"Not near as bad as the Players (Championship in May) when it really flared up on me," said McIlroy, a two-time winner at Quail Hollow in the past. "It's there _ I can feel it.
"I can play 18 holes, as I said, I warm it up. It's okay. But once I get done, having to go through the whole routine of getting it ready to go again the next day, you shouldn't have to do that."
McIlroy said the injury is to a rhomboid muscle on the left side of his body. He is off from the PGA Tour next week, and plans to use that time to re-evaluate.
"Right now, it's a tough one," McIlroy said, "because I go out there and play and shoot decent scores, but when I come off the course, I feel my left rhomboid going into spasm."
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