VoxVib

Rory McIlroy's defence of golf's British Open and a keenly-anticipated contest with American Jordan Spieth was thrown into doubt yesterday when he revealed he had ruptured an ankle ligament while playing soccer with friends.

In a dismal start to the week, McIlroy posted a photo on Instagram showing him on crutches with a walking boot on his left ankle. He said it was a "total rupture" of an ankle ligament and the joint capsule from kicking around a ball with friends in Northern Ireland.

"Continuing to assess extent of injury and treatment plan day by day," McIlroy said on the post. "Rehab already started ... working hard to get back as soon as I can."

His spokesman, Sean O'Flaherty, said he was definitely out of the Scottish Open, which starts on Thursday at Gullane. O'Flaherty said they would not know until the end of the week about the prospects of McIlroy teeing up at St Andrews on July 16.

McIlroy was the joint favourite for St Andrews with Spieth, the 21-year-old Texan who has won the Masters and US Open, and goes to the British Open as only the fourth player with a shot at the modern grand slam.

McIlroy referred to his ATFL, which is the anterior talofibular ligament and the one most commonly sprained. The left ankle is crucial in a golf swing as weight shifts to that side while generating power.

"That's a big blow to the Open if he misses it," said former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance.

The 26-year-old Northern Irishman has won four major titles, the 2011 US Open, the 2012 PGA Championship and, last year, the British Open and the PGA Championship.

McIlroy won the Open at Royal Liverpool by going wire-to-wire and taking a six-shot lead into the final round. His PGA Championship victory saw him join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Bobby Jones as the only players in the last century with four majors at 25 or younger.

McIlroy already has a reasonable connection with the Old Course, where he secured his European Tour card in 2007 as an 18-year-old at the Dunhill Links with a third-place finish. He also tied the major championship record of 63 when the British Open was held at St Andrews in 2010, although McIlroy followed with an 80 in the wind. He tied for third at St Andrews five years ago.

After a strong start to the current season, he showed signs of fatigue when he missed the cut at two successive events in May and said that, after five successive tournaments, he needed to take a break.

McIlroy has injured his ankle playing football before. He suffered a similar, but less severe, problem in December 2013 after which he revealed: "I was off my ankle for about a week over New Year."

McIlroy was out of contention to win at the majors won by Spieth this year. At the Masters, in April, he was four strokes adrift and at the US Open he finished tied ninth.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: McIlroy ruptures ankle ligament playing soccer

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kwLG70a1moKecm3yivtOimqWdX2aFdH%2BYbG5ooJ%2BXr62xw2alqK9drLyzuMNmpahlYWK0sLjFnqlmqp%2Bnxm65wqKjq6epYr%2B2vNOuqZ6rXZa7rLjEZqOin5Gisq%2FA