'I feel like my body held up well' - McIlroy takes positives from Sawgrass after closing 71

McIlroy carded five birdies and one more double bogey the rest of the way for a 71 which left him on even par in a tie for 46th as the tournament was being decided.

Sun, 15 Mar, 2026 - 21:33

Examiner Staff

As a cluster of his Ryder Cup teammates took the Players Championship down to the wire, Rory McIlroy had already departed Sawgrass. The drive down the Florida coast to his home in Jupiter would have been spent focusing on the positives.

McIlroy's defence of his Players crown came to an earlier end than he'd have liked as he was among the morning starters for Sunday's final round, a full 13 shots back of overnight leader Ludvig Aberg and the chasing pack.

Mcilroy's mood was hardly helped when he double-bogeyed the first on Sunday but having had his participation this week up in the air until the very last minute, the scorecard was of secondary importance. Shaking off a niggling back complaint was the priority.

As it was McIlroy carded five birdies and one more double bogey the rest of the way for a 71 which left him on even par in a tie for 46th as the tournament was being decided.

"[I'm] happy I got through four days and my body feels good," said McIlroy afterwards. "I feel like my game progressively got a little bit better as the week went on, even though the scores probably didn't reflect it over the weekend. I hit the ball well. I just didn't make anything on the greens.

"[I'm] happy to come through four rounds and feel like my body held up well. A couple little things to work on, but overall, not the week that I wanted. Just trying to take the positives."

With three lower-key events next up in the calendar, McIlroy hasn't decided if he will alter his schedule ahead of his defence of the Masters in early April.

"I haven't really made a decision either way. I'll see how my body feels. We'll see how I feel in practice and at home and if I get itchy feet at home maybe add an event at some point," he added.

"I feel like it was important to make the weekend here and play an extra couple of days. But yeah, really just see how the next week goes, see how once I get back to actually a full practice schedule and in the gym, see how my body reacts to that."

Waterford's Seamus Power endured a frustrating Sunday as a four-over 76 left him in a tie for 70th overall.