Rory McIlroy was stunned by on Sunday by journeyman Graeme Storm, who entered the South African Open ranked 251 in the world.
McIlroy lost on the third hole of a playoff but may be facing bigger issues.
On Friday, before his round, something went out-of-sorts with his upper back. He nearly withdrew from the event but stuck it out.
Some kinesthetic taping and anti-inflammatory pills got him through the remainder of the event.
On Monday, McIlroy had an MRI performed in Abu Dhabi to find out what’s going on with his back.
“Want to see what’s up with this joint in my back,” McIlroy confirmed. He said that he suspected that the tweak to his upper back may have come as a result of muscle fatigue. He noted that he has hit a lot of balls in the offseason, mainly for the purpose of testing new equipment.
As it turns out, results of the MRI showed it wasn’t McIlroy’s back but a stress fracture in a rib that was causing the pain.
The diagnosis forced McIlroy to withdraw from this week’s European Tour event — the HSBC in Abu Dhabi.
It is unclear how the injury will affect the rest of McIlroy’s schedule. He was set to play in Dubai, the Genesis Open in L.A., and then the Honda.
McIlroy has been advised to rest until the rib is fully healed.
