Rory McIlroy paired with Jordan Spieth for likely return to PGA Championship

After a week of Instagram posts demonstrating all of his progress recovering from an ankle injury, it was unsurprising to have Rory McIlroy’s name show up on the tee sheet at the 2015 PGA Championship. It would have come as a surprise a week ago, when McIlroy backed out of a title defense at this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and his status not just for the PGA, but the rest of the year, seemed in doubt.

But he spent his week on social media providing a drip of evidence that he was almost fully back and looked ready to go for Whistling Straits. Then on Friday, he posted a photo of his private jet taking off for the U.S. and retweeted the PGA of America’s announcement that he’ll be paired with Jordan Spieth come Thursday afternoon.

While the workout videos and the before-and-after pics were nice, the strongest support that McIlroy would make his return came Thursday morning when he posted a video taking full cuts with his driver.

McIlroy ruptured his anterior ligament in his left ankle during a “kickabout” with friends on July 4. At the time, he was the favorite to repeat at the Open Championship and win at St. Andrews. Other than the name of the injury, Rory did not provide a timetable or many details on his condition. Doctors raced to different media outlets saying he could be out two weeks or done for 12 weeks depending on the specifics of the injury. He quickly ruled out a defense at The Open and then waited until the end of July to tell the WGC-Bridgestone he would not defend in Akron.

Rory’s return at the PGA does come sooner than originally expected. His friend Darren Clarke ignited confusion at The Open when he said McIlroy would not be back until 2016, and then said he was joking, but maybe not. Until this week’s Instagram updates, the return -- especially in early August for the PGA -- seemed unlikely.

The PGA and the opportunity to add another major to his résumé was the most (only?) compelling reason to get back to playing in 2015. The FedExCup is nice, and quite lucrative, but he would not play in the PGA Tour’s playoffs unless he were 100 percent healthy and there was no threat of re-aggravating anything for next year. A major, and a defense of one while your world No. 1 status is under siege from Spieth, might be worth it.

McIlroy did play the PGA when it last came to Whistling Straits in 2010. As a 21 year old, he finished tied for third and just a shot out of the Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer playoff. The most memorable moment from that PGA is Dustin Johnson’s rules gaffe on the 18th hole, but McIlroy, a much chubbier and shaggier version, burned the edge on a birdie putt at the 18th green that would have put him through to extra holes. He’s won two PGA Championships in the intervening years and now he’ll likely return to the game going for his third title at the season’s final major.

While Rory is planting and pushing off that left ankle on drives in his Instagram post, he’s still probably not going to be fully healthy and in the same top form as he was before he was hurt a month ago. Spieth should remain the favorite to win his third major of the year, but at least the current world No. 1 is likely back and going to try for one more major win in 2015.

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SB Nation video archives: Urban golfing with a U.S. Open champion (2012)