PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Rory McIlroy said he is a “game-time decision” for the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship as he continues to recover from a back injury.

McIlroy arrived on the property for the first time all week on Wednesday afternoon. He hit balls intermittently for about an hour, working his way from a wedge to a 6-iron. After speaking to the media, McIlroy walked TPC Sawgrass’s back nine with a wedge and putter.

“It's better than it was,” McIlroy said of his back, which he injured while warming up for the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard last week.

McIlroy withdrew ahead of his Saturday tee time and drove straight from Orlando to his physiologist in West Palm Beach, Florida. McIlroy has had daily sessions with the physiologist since and that’s about all he said he has been able to do.

It was his first mid-tournament withdrawal in more than 13 years.

“We'll see. I'm taking it sort of hour by hour. But it feels better. That's all I can say,” McIlroy said.

“Like I couldn't stand to address the ball on Saturday morning on the range at Bay Hill, and it's obviously better than that. So, yeah, probably a game-time decision, but all indications are pointing in the right direction, so hopefully good night tonight. The drugs are working wonders, and then just keep it going from there.”

McIlroy said the injury happened while overextending a hinge movement during his workout. McIlroy said his doctors said he isn’t at risk of further injuring his back by playing. He also said he wouldn’t classify what he’s feeling as pain.

“I would say just more like sensitivity. It's not really on the site or like it's sort of more like the big – like even just hitting balls there for a little bit, just feel like my muscles around the area just getting a little bit, like, fatigued. Right adductor started to cramp a little bit,” McIlroy said. “But it's fine; it's expected.”

McIlroy will test his body again before his Thursday tee time. Crucially, he has not yet attempted to hit a driver. He is scheduled to tee off at 1:42 p.m. alongside Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama. McIlroy shrugged off concerns he wouldn’t be prepared for the course, given he’s played the event every year since 2009.

McIlroy is attempting to become just the second golfer to win back-to-back THE PLAYERS Championships, alongside Scottie Scheffler. A win would also be McIlroy’s third THE PLAYERS title, matching Jack Nicklaus for most in tournament history.