Rory McIlroy to undergo MRI for back injury suffered in SA Open

Rory McIlroy finished the playoff runner-up on Sunday at the BMW SA Open, but he was frankly fortunate to finish the tournament at all.

McIlroy suffered a back injury before his second round on Friday in Johannesburg, South Africa, and it led to an up-and-down round that included eight consecutive one-putt greens. The world No. 2 had considered withdrawing before the round, but he played through the pain and got through 75 holes of competition before losing to winner Graeme Storm on the third playoff hole.

Ahead of his planned start at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, McIlroy will have an MRI on Monday.

“I am going for a scan tomorrow,” McIlroy said. “I fly to Dubai tonight and then will go for an MRI tomorrow just to see what’s up with this joint in my back. It was manageable this week with tape and a few pills, so I am fine, but first and foremost I have to get fully fit and healthy again and hopefully I’ll be all right to play next week.

“We will see what happens, but like I said, it is manageable with the tape and a few anti-inflammatories, but it’s not 100 percent.”

Pending the results of the scan, there’s a chance McIlroy will pull out of the event, which will also feature U.S. Open winner Dustin Johnson, Masters champ Danny Willett and defending champion Rickie Fowler. There’s a chance a McIlroy win could give him enough world ranking points to surpass Jason Day for the top spot in the world — a fact the reigning FedEx Cup champion seemed to know.

“Part of me really wants to make this week because there is so much to play for,” McIlroy said, “but at the same time there is so much to play for over the whole season and I don’t want to jeopardize long-term goals for short-term gain. Hopefully I’ll be good to go.”