Beware of the sick golfer – well, one of them, at least.
While Henrik Stenson could only get through 11 holes of his opening round at the WGC-Mexico Championship before withdrawing because of a stomach virus, Rory McIlroy, reportedly also under the weather, gutted out a 3-under 68 Thursday at Chapultepec Golf Club in Mexico City.
ESPN’s Bob Harig tweeted Thursday that McIlroy was also battling a stomach bug, saying that McIlroy said he was “praying to the porcelain bowl” Thursday morning. The Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis said that McIlroy had dinner Wednesday night with his parents and fiancee Erica Stoll, and also “played conservative” because of his stomach ache.
Even with the sickness, McIlroy looked good in his first competitive round in six weeks. The 27-year-old McIlroy, who had been recovering from a stress fracture in one of his ribs, made two birdies, a bogey, and a big 30-footer for eagle on the par-5 sixth hole.
Henrik Stenson withdrew from the WGC-Mexico Championship after 11 holes because of a stomach virus. (Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour)
McIlroy, ranked third in the world, can overtake the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking if he wins this week and current No. 1 Dustin Johnson finishes T-4 or worse.
Stenson’s withdrawal snaps a streak of six straight top-10 finishes worldwide. He was 3 over through 11 holes when he called it quits for the tournament.
