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McIlroy MRI scan reveals strained wrist tendon

Rory McIlroy felt a shooting pain up his arm when he attempted to escape trouble on the third hole © PA Photos

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Rory McIlroy will attempt to play on at the US PGA Championship despite an MRI scan revealing he has strained a tendon in his right wrist.

McIlroy, the current US Open champion hoping to pick up his second major of the year, inflicted damage on his wrist during the first round of the Atlanta event, when playing his second shot at the third hole. Finding himself near a tree root, the 22-year-old opted to use power to play his way out of trouble, rather than simply chipping back to safety.

As a consequence, McIlroy jarred his wrist and needed a lengthy examination by the physio, before opting to fight through the remainder of his round.

Having soldiered on with the injury bandaged, McIlroy kept himself in contention with a level-par 70, but then headed directly to hospital for an MRI scan. Results displayed a strain to the tendon, but he will attempt to continue on Friday.

A spokesman for McIlroy's management company said: "The initial diagnosis shows that Rory has strained a tendon in his right wrist. He will obviously rest it tonight and he will see how it feels in the morning on the range."

McIlroy is set to tee off at 1.35pm BST for his second round, and all signs suggest he will do everything in his power to continue. Prior to his scan, the Northern Irishman intimated he would risk an extended period on the sidelines in order to complete the competition.

"He (the physio) said it was my decision to play on," McIlroy said. "It is the last major of the year and I have six or seven months to the Masters so I felt it was worth getting on with it.

"It was dangerous. I thought maybe the root was a foot in front of the ball and felt if I could make contact with the ball and let go of the club I'd get away with it. In hindsight it's one that I should have chipped out sideways.

"I went through impact and held on to the club too long and jarred my wrist and forearm and it was then painful. It was like a sharp pain up the forearm and then there was the swelling up the wrist. I am now going to get an MRI and see how it is."

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