PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – There were grand expectations of Rory McIlroy’s return to TPC Sawgrass, but his title defense at THE PLAYERS Championship was off from the start.

Talk of becoming the second three-time champion in tournament history became a central storyline for McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler in the weeks leading up to the event. Their possible duel dominated the week's buzz. Yet all that was put on hold days before the tournament began when McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard with a back injury. Suddenly, the narrative shifted from "Will McIlroy win?" to "Will McIlroy play?"

The answer was yes, but McIlroy was undecided until he showed up Thursday morning, a few hours before his tee time. His game mirrored that indecision. McIlroy looked off, understandably. He felt healthy enough to compete, but struggled to trust his body and swing would hold up in uncomfortable situations. He needed time and reps to iron out the uneasiness. And he was forced to do it on the fly at TPC Sawgrass, a course that demands precision and confidence.

Thus, the result is far from a surprise. McIlroy shot 71 in the final round Sunday, finishing even par and outside the top 50. It’s McIlroy’s worst result since missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open last June.

McIlroy was noncommittal about whether he would play again before the Masters next month, meaning that refinement and confidence-building might have to come at home. The back injury will be a lingering talking point, though McIlroy did assuage many of those concerns this week. His game looked off, but his body was solid. McIlroy reached 187 mph ball speed with the first driver he hit on Thursday morning and was comfortably inside the top five in driving distance all week. The issues materialized as the clubs got shorter, requiring McIlroy to bend down further. His touch was off with wedges and around the green, and his putter never got going.

“Happy I got through four days, and my body feels good,” he said. “I feel like my game sort of progressively got a little bit better as the week went on, even though the scores probably didn't reflect it over the weekend. I hit the ball well. I just didn't make anything on the greens."

Sunday’s round was more of the same. McIlroy opened with a double bogey on the first hole, ping-ponging around the green after a wayward drive. He was just over in the green after two shots into the par-5 second, but let his chip run 7 feet by the hole and didn’t read the comebacker correctly, resulting in a par and a look of exasperation. McIlroy battled back from there, adding four birdies over an eight-hole stretch. The last of those birdies came on the 12th as McIlroy drove the green at the 373-yard par 4. McIlroy was the only player to get his ball all the way to the back pin location, settling 10 feet right of the pin. McIlroy missed the putt but tapped in for his birdie.

“A couple little things to work on, but overall, not the week that I wanted. Just trying to take the positives,” McIlroy said.

It’s hard to look at this week as a disappointment, though. Sure, it’s not the title defense McIlroy hoped for. Given the circumstances, making the cut with a solid finish on Friday and two extra rounds to work out the kinks was needed.

McIlroy’s attention now shifts to his next title defense, 25 days from Sunday at Augusta National. Expectations will be sky-high again. He’s hoping it will go better than this week at TPC Sawgrass.