Rory Mcllroy opts to delay return until March

Rory McIlroy does not expect to be back in action from a rib injury until the WGC-Mexico Championship in March — just a month before the Masters.

The 27-year-old missed last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the European Tour subsequently confirmed he would also not take part in the Dubai Desert Classic.

Mcllroy said: “I am trying to get back for Mexico, that’s my timetable for return.

“I could maybe get back before that, but if I were to play Honda (Classic in Florida) and then go straight to Mexico, that would be playing two weeks in a row.

“I would like to ease my way in gently.”

Despite being in pain, McIlroy had competed in the 2017 BMW SA Open, where he finished runner-up after losing a play-off to England’s Graeme Storm.

The Johannesburg event, which ran from January 12 to 15, was his only action since wrapping up last season with top-10 finishes at the WGC-HSBC Champions and the World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Following tests after the end of the tournament, it was confirmed McIlroy had suffered a stress fracture of a rib and was advised to rest.

The enforced lay-off means McIlroy could now be back in action just a matter of weeks before the start of the Masters at Augusta, which begins on April 6 and is a competition in which the four-time major winner has yet to triumph.

McIlroy, though, believes the planned recovery schedule to compete at the Club de Golf Chapultepec tournament, which finishes on March 5, will give him the best chance of progress.

“Mexico is the perfect time to return because its four rounds, no cut. I can see how everything feels and have a week off after that,” he said.

“Hopefully it works out that way and that’s when I am trying to get back.”

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods admits he is concerned about the schedule he has set himself as he prepares to return to competitive golf full-time.

The 41-year-old made a gentle comeback from 16 months out with injury when he tied 15th in the 17-man Hero World Challenge last month.

However, the real test will come over the next five weeks when he will play four full tournaments, including a long trip to the Middle East for the Dubai Desert Classic.

“That is a concern, no doubt about it, but I’m also looking forward to it,” he said. “I’ve sat out long enough here. Got my body in a pretty good state where I feel I can handle that workload but I still gotta go out there and do it.

“Feeling good about it and doing it is two totally different things.”

The 14-time major winner kicks off his season tomorrow in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, one of his favourite courses where he has won eight times as a professional.

Woods says he does not feel any pressure to restore his reputation.

“I’ve won a few times on tour and a few majors,” Woods added. “I know either way I’ll be a part of golf history with what I’ve done.”