This marks the first Masters where Rory Mcllroy will not be answering questions about how he can finally win the elusive green jacket at Augusta National. That’s the good news, but his status does not come without concerns as Mcllroy has been dealing with a back injury.
Back in March, Mcllroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational as a result of the injury. Ahead of the Masters, Amanda Balionis expressed concern that Mcllroy will be able to notch back-to-back green jackets given the injury.
“I think, listen, he said it at The Players, right? He felt rusty,” Balionis explained in a March 31, 2026, interview on the “Fairway Rollin’” podcast. “He didn’t look quite himself and he’s not going through the same schedule that he went through last year that led to success.
“And we all know golfers are a little superstitious. So if I’m Rory, I’m thinking like, oof, I would have loved to replicate exactly what I had done last year to try to replicate the same result as last year. That’s obviously not in the cards for him right now as he tries to get that back to 100%, tries to knock that rust off.”
Here’s the latest Masters news when it comes to Mcllroy and the top contenders at Augusta National.
Amanda Balionis Expresses Concern About Rory Mcllroy’s Injury: ‘Back Issues at Augusta National Are Tough’
After a strong start to 2026, Mcllroy struggled in recent PGA Tour events. Fans have not seen Mcllroy in a tournament since The Players on March 12.
Mcllroy finished T46 at The Players and withdrew from the Arnold Palmer. Balionis explained why nursing a back injury may be one of the most challenging issues to play through at the Masters given Augusta National’s terrain.
“I don’t know, back issues at Augusta National are tough,” Balionis added. “We’ve seen it with a lot of players. This is a hard place to be wondering at what point am I going to feel that tug in my back? So, I have no idea. I don’t know if you guys have better insight about where he’s at in that recovery process.
“I would be hard pressed to say he’s a 100%. I just don’t think those back things solve themselves like that when you’re a golfer and you have to keep practicing and you have to keep doing the motion that likely caused whatever the thing is.”
Rory Mcllroy on Back Injury During The Players: ‘Just Felt Like Unbelievably Rusty Out There’
During The Players, Mcllroy attempted to quiet any concerns about his back impacting his play. Yet, Mcllroy’s back injury combined with a lack of recent events prompts plenty of question marks heading into the Masters. Mcllroy admitted to being “unbelievably rusty” during The Players.
“Honestly, overall it was fine,” Mcllroy said of his back injury during a March 12, media session, per PGA Tour. “Got a little bit tired at the end of the day, but yeah, it was actually all pretty good.
“… It’s weird, I obviously played on Friday; it’s not as if I’ve taken a ton of time off. But just felt like unbelievably rusty out there.”
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