Rory McIlroy’s injury puts Open in doubt

Rory McIlroy’s chances of defending his British Open title are almost certainly in the bunker after weekend football antics resulted in an ankle injury that could see him off the greens for months.

Many bookmakers were still accepting bets last night on the 26-year-old for the championship, which tees off at St Andrew’s in just nine days, but Paddy Power was no longer offering a price.

A mouth-watering showdown with rising star Jordan Spieth was all but dashed by the injury he sustained on Saturday.

The World No 1 revealed the news when he posted a picture of himself on crutches and sporting a knee-high medical boot on his Instagram account yesterday morning.

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“Total rupture of left ATFL [ankle ligament] and associated joint capsule damage in a soccer kickabout with friends on Saturday,” he wrote.

“Continuing to assess extent of injury and treatment plan day by day. Rehab already started... Working hard to get back as soon as I can.”

Total rupture of left ATFL (ankle ligament) and associated joint capsule damage in a soccer kickabout… https://t.co/xpfDpsW38k

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) July 6, 2015

Following his Masters and US Open victories already this year, Spieth was already just pipping McIlroy with the bookies. The 2014 British Open champion is now replaced by 33-1 shot Shane Lowry as the leading Irish hope.

The Co Down man has ruled himself out of this week’s Scottish Open, the European Tour confirmed yesterday.

Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said he hoped it would be a quick recovery and that McIlroy would be back for the PGA Championship.

“It’s a shame because St Andrews, of all the golf courses, with the power and length that he has, really suited him,” McGinley told BBC Radio Five Live. “It was all set up for a lovely head-to-head with Jordan [Spieth] and all the other guys too. It was going to be great for the game of golf but now we’ve been deprived of that.”

The full extent of the problem was not known last night, and a full prognosis may not become clear until later in the week when swelling has had time to go down. McIlroy is currently in the North and being assessed by his medical team, which includes experienced physio and sports scientist Stephen McGregor.

Andrew Roche, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Lister Hospital in London, said it is highly unlikely McIlroy would be playing next week if it is on the severe end of the spectrum of such injuries.

“You could potentially play if it was a mild sprain but it is difficult to speculate,” said Mr Roche. “Everyone is different and it very much depends on the severity but it could mean three months out of action.”