The last time Rory McIlroy appeared in a golf tournament, the former world No. 1 was dealing with an injured rib and scuffling to a share of 63rd place at the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October.
Rory McIlroy says his heart irregularity is ‘nothing to worry about’
Despite a newly unveiled heart condition and a claim that being No. 1 means nothing to him, Rory McIlroy aims to regain golf’s top ranking by fearlessly beating the ‘big guys.’
Photo by Duncan McGlynn/Action Plus via Getty Images
As he prepares to kick off his 2018 season in Abu Dhabi on Thursday after a four-month layoff, and then on to Dubai, McIlroy has no worries about his rib.
Even a minor heart irregularity that he recently revealed and must monitor will have no impact on his goal to play his way back to the top of the world golf rankings, McIlroy told the Telegraph on Friday. Oh, and the Dustin Johnsons, Jordan Spieths, Jon Rams and Justin Thomases of the golf world may want to take notice of Rory’s declaration that he’s not scared of any of them.
You guys atop the rankings scoreboard — don’t say you weren’t warned.
Contending the world rankings mean little to him, McIlroy, No. 11 after a winless 2017, nevertheless has that preeminent spot in his sights as he gets ready for what he believes will be a stellar rebound season.
“I don’t care about the world rankings,” McIlroy said. “I think about number of wins, the ability of the players against me, the number of majors the others have. I don’t feel I need to compare myself to anyone else, because I know what I can do. I’m not hung up on it.”
Noting that he used to struggle going head-to-head down the stretch with the “big guys,” the 28-year-old Ulsterman said he now plays his best under such conditions and can’t wait to get back there.
“Maybe before, I had to win from the front. I just don’t feel that now,” he said. “I don’t fear any of them. Any one of them. I’ve beaten them before. I’ve seen what I have done in practice before, that I know I’m on track to where I want to be.
After “the dreary end to 2017” (he missed the cut at the Dell Technologies Championship and came in T58 at the BMW Championship before finishing the season at the Dunhill), his recent furlough — the longest break from competition in his career — was a blessing in disguise as he was able to rest and “reset” his body and mind.
As for his heart issue, a little thing like the “flat T-wave” that will require him to undergo an echocardiogram every six months and an MRI scan annually, won’t stop McIlroy from attempting to accomplish his goals. A bad viral infection he picked up in China 18 months ago caused what McIlroy explained as the thickening of his left ventricle and “nothing to worry about.”
“For now, I just need to stay on top of it and have to stay fit,” said the four-time major champion who gets his workout mania from his boyhood hero, Tiger Woods. “Hey, I was planning on doing that anyway.”
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