Rory Mac is just about back.
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy intends to play in the PGA Championship this week at Whistling Straits, a little more than a month after suffering an ankle injury. McIlroy ruptured an ankle ligament July 4 while playing soccer with friends.
“To play golf, it’s 100 percent,” McIlroy told reporters Monday, per ESPN.com. “To go back on a soccer pitch, it wouldn’t be quite ready. But to do what I need to do this week, it’s 100 percent.”
The injury caused McIlroy to miss the PGA Tour’s third major, the Open Championship in July. In missing the Open, McIlroy wasn’t able to defend his 2014 title, but he will get a chance to defend his PGA Championship crown from a year ago.
McIlroy said he’s been hitting balls since July 28.
“I’m finding the middle of the club face,” McIlroy said, per ESPN.com. “I think the one thing for me was if my short game was sharp. But I’ve been chipping and putting since basically this happened. I was putting in the boot. So I’ve kept that part of the game sharp. So everything feels pretty good.”
In addition to the world No. 1 ranking, McIlroy ranks 12th in the FedEx Cup standings, even after missing more than a month of action. He’s got two wins and six top-10 finishes so far this season, finishing fourth and tied for ninth at the Masters and U.S. Open, respectively.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
