Rory McIlroy withdrew from the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational before the start of the third round after hurting his back during his pre-round warm-up at Bay Hill.

The Northern Irish golfer shared the update in a statement released after his withdrawal. He explained that the problem started while he was getting ready for the round.

“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back,” McIlroy said. “As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back. Unfortunately, I’m not able to continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”

McIlroy was 4 under par through two rounds and sat nine shots behind Daniel Berger, who led the tournament after 36 holes.

Golf Channel reporter Brentley Romine reported that McIlroy went straight to the driving range instead of starting with putting, which he usually does. After hitting balls for a few minutes and feeling pain in his back, he decided to withdraw.

It is a rare withdrawal for McIlroy on the PGA Tour. The last time he pulled out of a tournament during play was at the 2013 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches.

McIlroy is currently 13th in the FedExCup standings this season. He is also expected to play next week at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, where he will defend his title.

How Rory McIlroy performed before withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Before withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Rory McIlroy had completed two rounds at Bay Hill and was sitting at 4 under par for the tournament.

He opened the event on Thursday with an even-par 72. McIlroy made five birdies, but three bogeys and a double bogey pulled his score back to level by the end of the round.

He played much better on Friday. McIlroy shot a 68 (4 under) with five birdies and one bogey, which moved him up the leaderboard going into the weekend.

After the round, Rory McIlroy said he was happy with the way he handled a mistake early in the round.

“One bogey. Hit it in the water on 8. But made a good putt for bogey there. I really felt like that kept any momentum that I had for the round going. I played the last 10 holes really, really well. Overall really pleased.”

The Arnold Palmer Invitational was McIlroy’s third PGA Tour event of the 2026 season. Earlier this year, he finished T14 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and runner-up at The Genesis Invitational.

Before those events, Rory McIlroy had started his season in the Middle East. He finished T3 at the Dubai Invitational and later placed T33 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.