Rory McIlroy’s hopes of defending his Open title "appeared to be in tatters" after he ruptured his ankle ligaments playing football with friends, according to Mark Cue of the LONDON TIMES.
The world No. 1 posted a picture of himself on crutches, with his left foot strapped in a medical boot, on his Instagram account. He said that he is undergoing treatment but, with the 144th Open at St. Andrews only 10 days away, his chances of recovering in time to defend the claret jug "look remote." McIlroy: "Total rupture of left ATFL [ankle ligament] and associated joint capsule damage in a soccer kickabout with friends on Saturday. Continuing to assess extent of injury and treatment plan day by day. Rehab already started..... Working hard to get back as soon as I can." A spokesperson for McIlroy said that "he has not withdrawn from the Open," but Andy Goldberg, a consultant foot and ankle specialist at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, said that the Ulsterman "can expect to be out of action for at least a month" (LONDON TIMES, 7/6). REUTERS' Mitch Phillips reported McIlroy's showdown with double major winner Jordan Spieth "was expected to be the highlight of the Open." McIlroy has injured his ankle playing football before. He suffered a similar, but less severe, problem in Dec. '13 after which he revealed: "I was off my ankle for about a week over New Year." (REUTERS, 7/6). In N.Y., Karen Crouse wrote McIlroy "is one of the fittest players on the Tour, but his rehabilitation might be more arduous than he expects." The left ankle "is important in the golf swing during the weight transfer that generates power."
Richie Ramsay, a three-time European Tour winner from Scotland, tore ankle ligaments in Dec. '13. On Monday, he wrote on Twitter that the injury "takes longer than you think" to heal. He wrote, "Three months till I played after tearing ligaments, and even then getting my foot to work the right way was tough" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/6).
