McIlroy in line to defend FedExCup title

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Bengaluru, August 19: Former world No.1 Rory McIlroy will defend FedExCup title after initially planning to take a break for the rest of the season.

A recurring back muscle injury had forced the Northern Irishman to put an early end to 2017.

"You might not see me until next year," McIlroy had said last Sunday after he shot a closing 68 to tie for 22nd in the PGA Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It is not for the first time that McIlroy was planning to take a break in the season.

He took six weeks off after losing in a play-off for the South African Open in January, when he first felt the back spasms, which are exacerbated when he plays.

But the 28-year-old tweeted details of a competition to play with him in the pro-am before next month's BMW Championship, the third event in the PGA Tour's FedExCup play-offs series.

Following the tweet, the BBC said that the world No.4, who has not won a major in three years has confirmed his title defence through his management.

The Northern Irishman won the second play-offs event in 2016 before clinching the $10 million bonus as he topped the standings after winning the season-ending Tour Championship.

This year's play-offs begin with the Northern Trust event in New York from Aug 24-27 before the Dell Technologies Championship takes place a week later in Boston.

After a week's break, the series resumes with the BMW Championship in Illinois before the top 30 in the standings advance to the concluding Tour Championship in Atlanta.