McIlroy reveals heart scare after virus
Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy picked up an infection in China – leaving him needing regular tests
Rory McIlroy has revealed he needs regular heart tests after picking up a virus in China 18 months ago.
The four-time major champion, and former world No. 1, told the Telegraph the infection had thickened his left ventricle and left some scar tissue.
The 28-year-old, whose 2018 campaign will get under way in Abu Dhabi next week, said he would need “an echo [cardiogram] on my heart every six months and an MRI scan every year”.
Releasing a later statement on his Instagram account, McIlroy added that the “slight heartbeat irregularity” was called a “flat or inverted T wave”.
McIlroy’s career has been plagued by recent injury. He missed his defence of the Open Championship at St Andrews in 2015 after rupturing an ankle ligament playing football with friends.
Last year, his drive to add to his haul of major titles was halted by a rib injury he picked up in January at the South African Open and which hindered him for much of the 2017 campaign.
Despite his latest declaration, McIlroy has insisted that there’s nothing to worry about.
“It’s not really that big of a deal,” he added and stressed he was “fit and healthy” ahead of his return to action at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
