Golf: Dengue fever dents McIlroy’s hopes

DUBAI: Rory McIlroy admitted that a crippling bout of dengue fever, which has affected his pursuit of the European number one spot, could rule him out of the season-ending Asian event in Thailand next week. The Northern Irishman suffered from exhaustion and a skewed blood count as a result of the illness. “To be honest, I’m ready for the season to be done and looking forward to putting the clubs away,” said McIlroy. The US Open champion, who needs to win the Dubai World Championship to dethrone Luke Donald from the number one spot, ended the event’s third-round in joint sixth place, with Donald in fourth and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros top of the standings.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2011.