It was a less than ideal return to action for Rory McIlroy, who had taken time off after the Masters to get married and honeymoon in the Caribbean.

In a week where he signed a $100m contract with TaylorMade, a tied 35^th finish at The Players Championship, where he actually putted well, revealed how rusty his ball-striking was. He hit only 55% of both fairways and greens over the week.

What was more concerning, however, was a possible reoccurrence of the rib injury that forced him to miss most of the early part of 2017.

The Northern Irishman revealed he would have an MRI scan to determine the extent of his own back problem, with the world number two admitting the “most important thing” was to be fit for June’s US Open.

That makes him a doubt for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in two weeks’ time, the first event of the European Tour’s Rolex Series.

Having only played six times this year so far, the frequency of injury problems is becoming for McIlroy, another absence until the US Open would leave him undercooked heading into a major again.