World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is slated to undergo an MRI on his ailing back in Dubai on Monday. McIlroy, who injured his back and played through pain last week at the European Tour’s South African Open Championship, is slated to tee it up in this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The specific nature of McIlroy’s back injury is unclear at this point. Following his second round, Rory reported that he’d “tweaked his back somehow,” presumably prior to the round. He added, “I can’t really take a deep breath because I’ve done something to my upper back.”

The Ulsterman was bested by Graeme Storm in a sudden-death playoff in South Africa.

“I am going for a scan tomorrow,” McIlroy told reporters after the round. “I fly to Dubai tonight and then will go for an MRI tomorrow just to see what’s up with this joint in my back.

“It was manageable this week with tape and a few pills, so I am fine, but first and foremost I have to get fully fit and healthy again and hopefully I’ll be all right to play next week. Obviously [pulling out] is worst-case scenario.

“We will see what happens. But like I said, it is manageable with the tape and a few anti-inflammatories but it’s not 100 percent. Part of me really wants to make this week because there is so much to play for, but at the same time there is so much to play for over the whole season and I don’t want to jeopardize long-term goals for short-term gain, but hopefully I’ll be good to go.”

Hopefully, indeed. While McIlroy obviously plans to play this week, he’ll certainly be mindful of causing any undue aggravation as the season gets under way, and we’ll certainly be eagerly awaiting the results of an MRI in Dubai today.