A club sandwich could derail Rory McIlroy’s anticipated showdown with Jordan Spieth and a stellar field at this week’s World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai beginning Thursday.
Race to Dubai leader McIlroy had stomach pains which forced him to miss a colourful tournament launch event Tuesday, and despite being seen on the practice green early on Wednesday, he pulled out of his 10:45am pro-am tee time.
“I’m not feeling great to be honest,” he said before retiring to his hotel room.
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“I had something (to eat) a couple of nights ago and yesterday wasn’t good at all.
“I thought I would be better this morning… and I came here and tried to hit some balls, but even just making a couple of swings my stomach was too sore. So I just need another day of rest and hopefully I will be better tomorrow and I can play.”
The world number three has 24 hours to recover before his 10:45am (0645 GST) first-round tee time on Thursday when he is due to play alongside world number five Rickie Fowler and big-hitting, eighth-ranked Dustin Johnson.
McIlroy has endured an injury-wrecked 2015 after tearing ankle ligaments playing football, which caused him to miss the British Open in July where he was defending champion.
The Northern Irishman showed glimpses of being close to his best at last week’s Turkish Airlines Open, where he was tied for sixth giving him high hopes of adding a second WGC title in 2015 to the WGC-Cadillac Matchplay he won in May.
Who would have thought the eel would be the safer bet!? Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow pic.twitter.com/K5vuGHbq5C
— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) November 3, 2015
World number two and 2015 double major champion Jordan Spieth will start favourite Thursday when he tees off alongside the defending champion at Sheshan Golf Club, fourth-ranked Bubba Watson, and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, the world number seven at 9:45 am.
Spieth, 22, has not played competitive golf since the Presidents Cup in South Korea a month ago.
He said that the break had done him good at the end of an amazing season where he won the US Masters, US Open and FedEx Cup, and amassed 15 top-10 finishes and a staggering $22 million in prize money.
“I’ve had a few weeks off, and didn’t touch a club for a couple of weeks after the Presidents Cup,” Spieth told AFP. “I was able to get some rest and this being a World Golf Championships event it’s one I certainly want to bring my best game to. My energy level is high, I’m good to go.”
The WGC-HSBC Champions begins Thursday in Shanghai with an elite 78-man field and 36 of the world’s top 60 players taking part.
