Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Updates
Rory McIlroy arrived at TPC Sawgrass just before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. After some practice, he mentioned that defending his Players Championship title would likely be “an in-game decision.”
He worked on his pitching at the practice range, marking his first session since back pain led him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational last weekend.
McIlroy opted out of a practice round and is set to tee off on Thursday at 1:42 p.m. alongside Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama.
Having won the tournament twice, McIlroy had to withdraw from the API just minutes before his tee time for Saturday’s third round.
After practice, he commented, “I’m feeling better than I did before. I hit a 6-iron out there and it felt okay. There’s about 20 hours until my tee time, so we’ll see how I feel. I think I’ll take it hour by hour.”
He also reminisced about the last time he was at Bay Hill’s practice field, where he struggled to even address the ball. “It’s definitely getting better, and all signs seem promising,” he added.
Following his experience at the chiropractic clinic in West Palm, McIlroy mentioned he’s been seeing a specialist daily since Saturday. “Honestly, I have very little time standing on my own two feet,” he quipped, adding that he’s kept up with a lot of press conferences in the meantime.
During his talk with reporters on Wednesday, he indicated that he felt no pain while standing. He expressed confidence that he wouldn’t worsen the issue, clarifying, “This isn’t structural—it’s more muscular.”
His caddy, Harry Diamond, has been measuring distances on the course all week, but McIlroy isn’t overly concerned about skipping practice rounds.
“I’ve been playing here since 2009, so I know it pretty well,” he remarked.
After his media session, he took a walk around nine holes just with a wedge and putter to gauge the terrain and condition of the greens.
Brooks Koepka’s Challenges
Brooks Koepka, who has five major championships to his name, was asked about his difficulties winning the Players Championship. His response was straightforward: “It’s the 17th hole.” He referred to TPC Sawgrass’s famous island-green par 3: “I don’t know if there’s a statistic, but I guarantee you there’s a statistic,” he added, recalling a particularly rough outing where he scored an 8 and a 7.
Indeed, statistics confirm that Koepka has struggled at that hole, admitting that it’s become somewhat of an issue for him. He clarified, however, that he might have exaggerated his past scores—he hasn’t shot 5-over but does have a couple of 7s.
In total, over 20 holes in tournaments, he found himself in the water off the tee 10 times, averaging four bogeys and only managing two birdies.
“That 17th hole has given me trouble over the years. I’ve played some good rounds here, but that hole—it’s like a bug that always gets to me,” he said with a hint of resignation.
When asked if he thinks about struggling on specific holes like an average golfer might, Koepka replied, “No, not really. It’s not something that eats at me. My friends joke about it a lot, which is all in good fun.”
Tommy Fleetwood’s Style Choice
Tommy Fleetwood, currently without any sponsorship, has chosen to wear a cap featuring the Players Championship logo. “I got this hat from local places like Tacol, which is a popular restaurant around here,” he explained. “I think my son Mo, who’s really into hats, actually got this during our last trip here a couple of years back.”
Fleetwood noted, “I’ve received plenty of stuff, which is really nice, but at this stage, I love having the freedom to wear what I want and try out different things.”
