Daniel Berger remains in pole position at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, despite having not yet finished his third round.

There will be no comeback for Rory McIlroy, however, with the five-time major champion having been forced to withdraw due to a back injury.

Weather delays meant Berger was one of four players unable to finish their rounds on Saturday.

However, through 15 holes, Berger retained the lead at 13 under par. He will complete his round on Sunday before going back out for the final 18 holes.

Second-place Akshay Bhatia also needs to finish off his third round. He is two shots back from Berger.

Sepp Straka, Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa are a further two shots back.

Daniel Berger leads by two into Sunday @APInv, chasing his first win since the 2021 @ATTProAm.

His journey hasn't been easy since that last victory

After the 2022 U.S. Open, Berger was competitively sidelined for 19 months due to a lower-back injury. Debilitating pain kept… pic.twitter.com/xmyxSyDMd8

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 8, 2026

While world number one Scottie Scheffler carded a level-par 72, McIlroy pulled out of the tournament.

McIlroy had found his groove on Friday, going round in 68 to take a share of ninth place, but he sustained a back issue while warming up for his third round.

"While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back," McIlroy said via a PGA Tour statement.

"As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back.

"Unfortunately, I'm not able to continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year."

This is just the third time McIlroy has had to withdraw from a tournament, and the first time since 2013.

McIlroy has titles to defend at upcoming tournaments, with the Players Championship taking place next week, and the Masters getting under way on April 9.