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LOS ANGELES. — Rory McIlroy revealed he briefly chatted with Nick Watney on the putting green at the RBC Heritage before the American golfer tested positive for the coronavirus.
After a disappointing opening 72 on Thursday, McIlroy bounced back superbly in Friday’s second round at Harbour Town, posting a six-under-par 65 to rise 56 places up the leaderboard.
But he barely had time to celebrate the achievement, because as soon as he finished his round he looked at his phone and noticed he had received a text from Watney telling him he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Watney felt personally obligated to inform McIlroy of his diagnosis, as the two had chatted in person on the putting green that morning.
Asked after his round if he’d heard about Watney’s positive test, McIlroy said: “Yeah, he texted me actually, because we had a chat on the putting green before he went out to play. But we were at a distance.
“I think he just wanted to tell me personally instead of having to read it through the news, so I appreciated that.
“He just said ‘look I hope I didn’t get too close to you’. He feels badly that he was here today at the golf course.
“I said ‘look it’s fine, you never know. If I was in your position I probably would have been here too. At this point, you just have to concentrate on getting better and getting healthy.’
Asked if he still had confidence in the PGA Tour’s health and safety measures, McIlroy said: “Oh yeah, for sure. When I do the things I’m supposed to do and I’m at the tournament site I feel very safe.” — AFP.
Online Reporter