Rory McIlroy healthy enough to start 1st FedEx Cup event after all

Rory McIlroy, injuries and all, has committed to play at least the first four FedEx Cup event, according to The Telegraph’s James Corrigan.

The last time we heard from the reigning FedEx Cup champion, after he finished tied for 22nd at the PGA Championship, McIlroy said his injured rib and back might force him to cut short his 2017 season without hitting a shot in any of the PGA Tour’s season-ending series of playoff events. After meeting with his trainer Steve McGregor in Northern Ireland earlier this week, though, McIlroy determined he was good to go for next week’s Northern Trust at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, N.Y., his management team told Corrigan on Friday.

McIlroy lost time during the season after fracturing a rib at the start of the year. After finishing his 12th straight major without a victory, the winner of four such competitions said back pain on top of the rib injury was hampering his ability to practice and he would consider taking the rest of the year off.

“It’s a tough one because I go out there and play and shoot decent scores,” said McIlroy, who is winless worldwide since last year’s FedEx Cup finale, said after the PGA at Quail Hollow. “But when I come off the course, I feel my left rhomboid going into spasm. Inside of my left arm goes numb. So I don’t know what to do. I’ve got this next week off to assess what I need to go forward.”

Apparently the assessment with McGregor went well and if he gets through the first playoff tourney unscathed, the world No. 4 will presumably carry on throughout the remaining three contests.

McIlroy was apparently confident enough that his health would hold up that he offered some lucky contest winner the chance to tee it up with him in the BMW Championship pro-am.