After missing over a month of PGA Tour action due to a serious ankle injury, Rory McIlroy is returning to the course this week.
The No. 1 golfer in the world is ready to compete in the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, the 26-year-old declared on Monday after his practice round at this year's venue.
"To play golf, it's 100 percent," McIlroy said of his ankle, via Kevin Maguire of ESPN. "To go back on a soccer pitch, it wouldn't be quite ready. But to do what I need to do this week, it's 100 percent."
THIS JUST IN: Rory McIlroy says he is 100 percent ready to go and will play in PGA Championship starting Thursday. pic.twitter.com/nWuKqtnFMD
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 10, 2015
McIlroy will defend his title at the year's final major tournament after missing the opportunity to do so at the British Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He suffered a ruptured ligament in his left ankle in early July after playing soccer with his friends and he's been steadily recovering from the injury for over a month now.
Rumors surfaced last week that McIlroy scheduled a practice round at Whistling Straits on Saturday and then he posted photos and videos on his Instagram account a few days later to document the progress he was making from the injury. He hasn't played in a PGA tournament since the U.S. Open in late June.
"Felt like (this week) was the right time to come regardless whether (if) it was this week, or no matter what week it was," he added. "I was ready to go whether it was this week, whether it was some other tournament. It wasn't like I was trying to get back for this. It just so happened that I was feeling good enough to go this week."
After his practice round on Sunday he told Gary D'Amato of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel his ankle was "good" and has "come a long way in five weeks," further indicating he might be ready for the first round of the PGA Championship this Thursday. McIlroy began hitting balls on July 28 and even played 72 holes in Portugal before his practice rounds at Whistling Straits to begin testing his injured ankle.
Now that he declared he's ready for the PGA Championship, the Northern Irishman will play nine practice holes on Tuesday and Wednesday and then tee off with Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson at 2:20 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon to kick off the first round of the major event.
