Rory McIlroy set to return to PGA Tour at next week’s WGC-Mexico Championship

Rory McIlroy on Sunday played his first “competitive” round of golf since January and pronounced himself fit enough to resume his PGA Tour career next week at the WGC-Mexico Championship. McIlroy, who has been resting a stress fracture in his rib, last played competitively at the South African Open and had scheduled his first post-injury 18 holes for next weekend.

Those plans changed when the U.S. president extended an invitation to tee it up with him and two others at one of his many golf courses, Trump International. That McIlroy confirmed — while playing golf with the Mexican-hating POTUS — and that he would resume his career after a five-week layoff in the new Mexican venue of the event that moved from Trump National Doral, is rather delicious irony.

When he withdrew from the Genesis Open and Honda Classic after struggling through what he believed was back pain in South Africa, McIlroy said he expected to be back for the four rounds of the no-cut, March 2-5 Mexico tourney.

Assuming there is no setback from his Trump outing, the world’s No. 3 will attempt to rev up his preparations for the Masters at the tourney most recently known as the WGC-Cadillac Championship and contested at Trump National Doral. Though former tour commissioner Tim Finchem went out of his way to praise Trump for being “a most gracious host,” and blamed the move on Cadillac bowing out as sponsor, the then-candidate (as is his wont) took a swing at the tour for pulling the long-running competition out of South Florida.

“I just heard that the PGA Tour is taking their tournament out of Miami and moving it to Mexico,” Trump said, who promised on a Fox News program at the time to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico line to keep out Mexican “rapists.”

”They’re moving it to Mexico City, which, by the way, I hope they have kidnapping insurance.”

Before making the change of locations official, the tour had suggested, soon after candidate Trump expressed his offensive xenophobic opinions about Mexicans and immigrants, that it was considering a move.

“While the LPGA, PGA of America, PGA Tour, and USGA don’t usually comment on presidential politics, Mr. Trump’s comments are inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment in the game of golf,” a joint statement the golf organizations issued in the summer of 2015 read.

As for McIlroy, he was just the latest tour pro to tee it up with the president. Ernie Els joined Trump last week while the then-vertical Tiger Woods joined him for 18 holes before Christmas.