RORY McIlroy is ready to make his return at the US PGA Championship on Thursday.
The Northern Irishman has been out of action since he ruptured a ligament in his left ankle last month.
His injury ruled him out of defending his British Open title at St Andrews.
“If anything, my ankle feels even better when I swing hard,” McIlroy told the Daily Mail.
“I’ve played a lot of golf since then, just finding the middle of the clubface again,” he said. “And I’ve been chipping and putting basically since it happened, with my protective boot on.”
“I did think about coming back last week at the Bridgestone but Steve [McGregor, his fitness coach] held me back. He thought it important for me to basically play a tournament behind closed doors and after I completed that successfully, it felt the right time to come.
“I’m ready to play and I expect to do well.”
He did not feature in last week’s World Golf Championship event in Akron, Ohio, which was won by Irishman Shane Lowry.
McIlroy has been grouped with Zach Johnson and the Masters and US Open champion, Jordan Spieth, for the first two rounds of the championship.
