PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Rory McIlroy arrived at TPC Sawgrass shortly before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and after some practice pronounced himself as “probably a game-time decision” to defend his Players Championship title.
McIlroy hit some balls at the practice range — the first time he’s hit balls since experiencing back pain that caused him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational this past weekend.
Without a practice round, he hopes to be on the first tee for his 1:42 p.m. opening-round tee time Thursday alongside Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama.
McIlroy, a two-time winner of the tournament, withdrew from the API minutes before his third-round tee time Saturday.
“It’s better than it was,” McIlroy said after practicing. “I hit up until a 6-iron on the range there and it felt OK. I’ve got about … 20 hours until I tee off, or until I’m supposed to tee off tomorrow. So, we’ll see. I’m taking it sort of hour by hour.
“But it feels better. Like, I couldn’t stand to address the ball on Saturday morning on the range at Bay Hill, and it’s obviously better than that. So, probably a game-time decision, but all indications are pointing in the right direction.”
McIlroy said Saturday he drove straight from Orlando to the physio that he uses in West Palm and has seen him every day since.
“I haven’t really spent a ton of time on my feet,” he said. “I watched a lot of press conferences the last couple days.”
He said he wasn’t in any pain while standing and speaking to reporters Wednesday. He also said he was not worried about making the issue worse because “it’s not structural, it’s muscular.”
Though his caddie, Harry Diamond, has been walking the course all week charting distances, McIlroy said he wasn’t concerned about not having a practice round.
“I’ve been playing here since 2009, so it’s not like I don’t know the place,” he said.
After speaking to reporters he went out and walked nine holes with a wedge and a putter “to get a feel for the rough around the greens and how firm the greens are.”
Brooks Koepka, with his five major championships known as a big-game hunter in the sport, was asked what has held him back from winning a Players Championship.
His answer was rather simple.
“The 17th hole,’’ he said, referring to TPC Sawgrass’ iconic island green par-3. “I don’t know if there’s stats on it, but I guarantee there are. One year, I made an 8 and a 7. Yeah, that wasn’t very good.’’
There are, indeed, stats on how every player has done on No. 17, and Koepka was right and wrong. He was right in that hole being a problem for him. But he was wrong that he ever scored a 5-over 8 on the hole. He does have two 7s, though.
In 20 times playing the hole in competition, Koepka has hit his tee shot into the water 10 times. He’s made only two birdies with an average score of bogey 4 on it.
“That 17th hole has gotten me over the years,’’ he said. “I’ve played good rounds here … that’s just kind of the one bugaboo that always gets me. The 17th hole has got my number.
“I hit the green [Monday], so I was pretty pumped about that,’’ he joked.
Asked if, like average golfers who have a problem on certain holes, he thinks about his struggles on that particular hole, Koepka said, “No, I don’t think about it. It doesn’t haunt me. I mean, my friends, they give me a bunch of crap about it. My friends bust my chops about it pretty good. It’s all fun and games. Then just got to go out and go do it.’’
Tommy Fleetwood is an apparel free agent at the moment, and not beholden to wearing any corporate logos. So, he’s been wearing a Players Championship logo hat.
“I’ve been given the hats,’’ Fleetwood said, referring to hats given to him, like by popular local restaurant “TacoLu,’’ which has an outpost on the 12th hole for the tournament. “But this one [with the Players logo], I actually traveled with this hat when I came out to America a few weeks ago. I genuinely think my middle boy, Mo, bought this about two or three years ago when he was here last. He’s much more of a hat connoisseur than I am so I trust his judgment.“I’ve been given a lot of stuff, which has been really kind and very, very cool. But, yeah, I’m just in that period to where I have the freedom and the luxury of trying what I want or wearing what I want and seeing what I like.’’