Injured McIlroy May Have To Miss St Andrews
Defending champion Rory McIlroy could miss next week's 144th Open at St Andrews due to an ankle injury.
The world No 1 ruptured ankle ligaments over the weekend while playing football with friends, but a spokesman for the Northern Irishman said McIlroy had not yet ruled himself out of playing in the third major championship of the season at the Old Course.
McIlroy announced the news via Twitter, with an accompanying photograph on Instagram showing himself on crutches and wearing a protective boot.
He said he was working hard to get back as soon as he could and admitted he suffered a "total rupture" of ligaments in his left left ankle during a kick-about with friends on Saturday.
The 26-year-old, who won last year's Open at Royal Liverpool, had been due to compete in this week's Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Gullane.
Recovery from injuries such as the one reported by McIlroy can take weeks, or in the worst cases months and even require surgery. McIlroy has as yet given no details on the anticipated timescale for his recovery.
Should he be sidelined and be out of action for more than a month, he could be unable to defend his title at the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, which begins on 13 August.
McIlroy has been only on the fringes of challenging at this year's majors, both won by Jordan Spieth. At the Masters in April he finished four strokes back while he finished tied ninth, five shots off the pace, at last month's US Open at Chambers Bay despite a final-round 66.
Much has been made of a potential rivalry with 21-year-old Spieth, who has risen to number two in the rankings, but the injury could prevent any head-to-head meetings in the remaining two majors of the summer.
