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Rory McIlroy’s green jacket defense seems to be a bit up in the air.
The reigning Masters winner was forced to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday after suffering back spasms during his field session.
“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a little twinge in my back. When I started hitting balls on the course before the round, it got worse and turned into muscle spasms in my lower back,” McIlroy said.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland watches his tee shot on the 14th hole during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge on March 6, 2026, in Orlando, Florida. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
“Unfortunately, I can’t continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish him a great finish to the Arnold Palmer Invitational and hope to return next year.”
McIlroy finally took home the green jacket on his 17th attempt last year; It was his first major since 2014 and made him the sixth golfer to complete the career Slam. It was an up-and-down weekend, as he set the Masters record for most threes carded, but had many missed shots throughout the match.
In the end, he prevailed in a tiebreaker against Justin Rose, who also lost to Sergio Garcia in a tiebreaker eight years earlier.
Rory McIlroy holds the Masters championship trophy during the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Images by Kyle Terada-Imagn)
The last time someone didn’t play in the Masters the year after winning it was 1954, when Ben Hogan didn’t participate.
McIlroy finished tied for second at last month’s Genesis Invitational, won by Jacob Bridgeman, and tied for 14th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a tournament he won last year.
Rory McIlroy watches his tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the RBC Canadian Open golf tournament. (Images by Dan Hamilton-Imagn)
The Masters was McIlroy’s third and final victory of last year’s season. He also won The Players and was part of the Ryder Cup winning team at Bethpage Black. It was the first time a visiting team had won the Cup since the Europeans did so in 2014, and it was the first consecutive Ryder Cup victory since Europe won three in a row in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
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