Did Rory McIlroy give Tiger Woods COVID?
Up until now, the biggest story that came out of last summer's Open Championship at St. Andrews was Cam Smith's fourth-round swing to win the event and beat Rory McIlroy. But that storyline pales in comparison to the one McIlroy revealed in an interview over the weekend.
The Irishman revealed to The Independent that he and good friend Tiger Woods had actually both contracted COVID-19 ahead of the major tournament. And from the sound of things, McIlroy is the one who got the 15-time major winner sick.
"I woke up that morning feeling a bit achy but didn't really think anything of it," McIlroy told Paul Kimmage, detailing how he saw Woods that day and then felt significantly worse later on.
"I rang Tiger: 'I'm not feeling so good here.' And he goes, 'Oh, I feel okay.' But he texted me at 10 o'clock that night, chills, fever, and I'm like, 'F---ing hell, I've just given Tiger COVID! This is horrendous!'"
Golf die-hards and faithful Tiger fans probably aren't very happy hearing this news given that Woods probably played his final event at the Old Course that weekend. Not to say things weren't also disappointing for McIlroy, who was the favorite heading into the event and had a lead on the final day before Smith took over and won it all.
But at least their turn with the virus didn't ruin their friendship. In addition to co-leading the charge against the rival LIV Golf series, McIlroy and Woods will also team up in just a little over a week for the latest installment of The Match, where they will compete against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
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