Rory McIlroy Injury: Updates on Golfer's Ankle Ligament and Return

Rory McIlroy will compete at the PGA Championship, his first tournament after announcing July 6 he had ruptured a ligament in his left ankle playing soccer with friends.

SportsCenter passed along word of McIlroy's return.

Prior to announcing the decision, McIlroy played a practice round at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, on Aug. 8, according to the PGA of America. It also announced he had a 2:20 p.m. ET tee time scheduled for the first round.

Todd Lewis of Golf Channel provided video of McIlroy's play:

Kelly Tilghman of Golf Channel noted McIlroy was "swinging with ease" and "running uphill to various tee boxes."

On Aug. 5, McIlroy posted a video to Instagram that shows him working out his ankle:

The return at the PGA Championship is months ahead of Darren Clarke's predicted timeline for McIlroy, after Clarke predicted the 26-year-old wouldn't golf again in 2015, according to Tim Rosaforte of Golf Digest.

"I'm taking a long-term view of this injury and, although rehab is progressing well, I want to come back to tournament play when I feel 100 percent healthy and 100 percent competitive," McIlroy explained July 8, when confirming his absence from The Open.

The world No. 1 previously clarified the exact nature of his injury:

It's been a year of mixed fortunes for the four-time major champion, with challenges at the Masters and the recent U.S. Open coming up just short. McIlroy will try and reverse those fortunes this week.