What happened to Rory McIlroy? Golfer’s Irish Open performance and standing explored

Rory McIlroy suffered a back injury ahead of the start of the 2023 Tour Championship last month. His performance at the FedEx Cup final event was hampered by the injury. However, just a few weeks later, he entered the 2023 Irish Open, which took place from September 7 to 10.

McIlroy had issues with his game at the Irish Open and tied for 16th position with Erik Van Rooyen, Julien Brun, Marcel Siem, Kristian Krogh Johannessen, Guido Migliozzi, Paul Waring, and Marcel Siem.

He started the game on Thursday, September 7, with a birdie on the fourth hole and then added a bogey on the seventh hole. He carded two consecutive birdies on the eighth and ninth holes, followed by a bogey on the 10th and another birdie on the 11th.

Mcllroy scored 3-under 69 in the first round and started the second again with a birdie on the fourth hole. He made three birdies, one eagle, one double bogey and a bogey to score 2-under par 70, and made seven birdies and one bogey in the third round.

Rory McIlroy started the Sunday round with a birdie on the first hole and added three more birdies, two double bogeys and one bogey to settle for a score of 74. He finished with a score of under 10 to settle for 16th position.

---

"I've had much worse" - Rory McIlroy talks about his injury

Ahead of the start of the 2023 Irish Open, Rory McIlroy opened up about his injury. Although he hasn't fully recovered, he still competed at the tournament.

Pointing out that he has dealt with some of the worst injuries over time, the Northern Irish golfer said this was fine. McIlroy said (via the BBC.com):

"I've had much worse [injuries]. I had much worse back issues when I was 21, so this is fine. This is a bit of tightness, a bit of a muscle spasm. This is nothing compared to some I've had.

"I've had a herniated disc, and I've had stuff that would be a lot more worrying than this is, and I've got really good people around me that know what to do. It's fine. It's totally fine. I maybe don't heal quite as fast as I used to, but it's all good," he added.

He also spoke about his recovery, saying:

"I would say it's at 90 percent, 95 percent. It's not 100 percent better. I just happened to take care of it a little bit, but it's not preventing me from doing anything I want to do. Just being a little mindful, I guess."

Despite struggling with an injury, Rory McIlroy finished in fourth place at the Tour Championship. He has also secured a spot in the European Ryder Cup team. The biennial event is slated to take place from September 29 to October 1 in Rome.