Rory McIlroy pulls out of Arnold Palmer Invitational with injury weeks before the Masters

Rory McIlroy has been forced to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational ahead of the third round at Bay Hill Club & Lodge

Rory McIlroy has been forced to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to a back injury. McIlroy was tied for ninth place after his second round, but after tweaking something in his back, he has now withdrawn from the competition as a precautionary measure.

The Down man was tied for ninth place after his second round. McIlroy had warmed up with Ryan Fox close to his tee time but was unable to make it to the first hole to start his round.

The injury will be a concern for McIlroy as the start of the Masters is just weeks away. It is also only the second time in his career that he has withdrawn from a tournament.

The first came in 2013 when he didn’t complete the second round of the Honda Classic, citing a toothache. Before pulling out, McIlroy had birdied four of his last nine holes, but still trailed Daniel Berger by nine shots at the halfway mark of the competition.

The American stretched his overnight lead from three strokes to five as a second-round 68 left him on 13-under-par. Akshay Bhatia was five shots off the lead after a 66, while Ludvig Aberg was a shot further back alongside Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa.

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Berger started the day with a 25-foot birdie putt on the opening hole and carried the momentum with three more birdies on the back nine. After an opening 72, McIlroy was level par at the turn before picking up four shots in seven holes to move into a share of ninth – one ahead of world number one Scottie Scheffler.

Tommy Fleetwood made three birdies in his back nine to finish with a 60 and lie on one-over-par after flirting with the cut line. The Masters gets underway on April 9, and reflecting on his Augusta triumph last year, McIlroy said: “My 17th time here. I started to wonder if it would ever be my time.

“The last 10 years coming with the burden of Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that. I wonder what we are all going to talk about coming into next year. I am so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.

“All week I responded to setbacks and that’s what I’ll remember. I’m so proud of that and being able to bounce back. I would say it was 14 years in the making.

“Going out with a four-shot lead in 2011 and feeling like I could have got it done there. A lot of pent-up emotion came out on the 18th green.

“A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it. I want to say hello to mum and dad back in Northern Ireland. I can’t wait to see them next week and can’t wait to celebrate with them.”