Rory McIlroy's back is feeling fine. It's his putter that hurts him at The Players

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Rory McIlroy wasn't entirely sure he would be able to play in The Players Championship because of muscle spasms in his lower back that forced him to withdraw last Saturday at Bay Hill. Now he's thankful to be playing two more days at the TPC Sawgrass.

But it took a lot more work than he wanted Friday. McIlroy, the defending champion and two-time winner of The Players, was over the projected cut line approaching his final hole at the par-5 ninth. He blistered a 310-yard drive, reached the green in two and had a two-putt birdie for a 71.

Satisfaction came only from making the cut.

“I'm happy to be here for the weekend. I'm happy to get two more runs at it,” McIlroy said. “It would have sucked to be going home this afternoon. So to hang around and hopefully play two more days, that's a win.”

But it was only his third birdie of the round in scorable conditions — and only fourth birdie of the tournament — so this wasn't simply about making the cut. McIlroy woke up feeling good about his back. He just couldn't get his putter to wake up.

Still, it was a clutch finish to sit at 1-over 145.

“I wish I was further up the leaderboard. I felt like I played well enough today to be up the leaderboard, I just couldn’t get a putt to drop,” he said.

The back no longer appears to be an issue. McIlroy was hopeful it would be like 2023 at the Tour Championship when he had a balky back. It was fine by the weekend, and this appears to be a similar situation.

“It feels pretty much there,” McIlroy said. “Not all the way there, but I feel like it's just progressively getting better each and every day.”

McIlroy was not sure what his schedule would be leading to the Masters. He contemplated adding a tournament if he only got in two days at The Players. He said Jim “Bones” Mackay at NBC asked him going down the ninth what his plans were ahead of Augusta National.

“I said, ‘Bones, I’ll tell you after this hole. There’s a lot riding on this golf hole,'” he said with a laugh. “If I had have missed the cut I probably would have added an event going into the Masters, so hopefully I’m here for the weekend and I don’t have to do that.”

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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits off the 10th tee during the second round of The Players Championship golf tournament Friday, March 13, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts to his putt on the 11th green during the second round of The Players Championship golf tournament Friday, March 13, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland acknowledges fans appluase before hitting off the 10th tee during the second round of The Players Championship golf tournament Friday, March 13, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NEW YORK (AP) — Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas faces a suspension of up to five games for his knee-on-knee hit that injured Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.

Gudas is having a hearing Friday with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Because the hearing is a conference call and not “in-person” — now on Zoom — the league cannot suspend Gudas for more than five games.

With just over four minutes left in the second period of the teams' game Thursday night, Gudas' left knee made contact with Matthews' left knee and sent the 28-year-old American star to the ice in pain.

Gudas was given a 5-minute major penalty and ejected. Matthews needed assistance from an athletic trainer and a teammate to leave the rink, and he did not return.

Toronto coach Craig Berube called it a dirty play, and forward Matthew Knies said Gudas has “done a few of those before in his career.” Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville defended Gudas, saying there was no premeditation and that it was the result of reflexes.

Gudas, a 35-year-old bruising defender who is 6-foot and 208 pounds, was also involved in the play that knocked Canada's Sidney Crosby out of the Olympics, while representing Czechia. He was not penalized, and opponents did not publicly take issue with Gudas' role in the situation.

Although not a repeat offender under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, which counts supplemental discipline over the past two years, Gudas has a long rap sheet from his decade-plus NHL career. He was suspended four times between 2015-19: three games for an illegal check to the head, six for interference, 10 for slashing and two for high-sticking.

With those added up, Gudas has been suspended for 21 games and docked $751,360 in salary. He'll forfeit roughly $20,800 for each game he is suspended this time, up to a maximum of $104,167 if he gets five.

Matthews last month captained the U.S. to its first men's hockey gold medal at the Olympics since 1980. From Arizona, he's in his 10th season in the league and leads the Maple Leafs in goals with 27.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews (34) and Anaheim Ducks Radko Gudas (7) battle for the puck during second period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews, left, is injured by Anaheim Ducks Radko Gudas during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews (34) is injured by Anaheim Ducks Radko Gudas (7) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)