McIlroy says heart issue won’t slow him

Rory McIlroy revealed he has a heart ailment that will have to be monitored regularly but is not expected to affect his play.

McIlroy said in an interview with The Telegraph he has a thickening of the left ventricle. He says doctors told him it was caused by a viral infection he suffered in China 18 months ago.

He said he’ll get an electrocardiogram every six months and an MRI once per year.

McIlroy says he’s fully recovered from the rib injury he suffered a year ago that contributed to a winless 2017. He finished the year ranked 11th, his worst year-end ranking since his rookie year in 2008.

McIlroy took three months off at the end of 2017 to allow his rib to heal. He plans to play eight events before the Masters, his most ambitious schedule ahead of Augusta National in the 10 years he’s been eligible.

European Tour: England’s Chris Paisley leads by a shot over home favorite Branden Grace going into the final round of the South African Open at Glendowner Golf Club in Johannesburg.

Paisley remained calm in a 2-under 70 in the third round to move to 15-under 201 overall and took the outright lead after sharing it with Adrien Saddier overnight.

Grace surged into contention with a third-round 66, with seven birdies and just one bogey to go to 14 under.

Three are tied for third at 12-under 204 and three shots off the lead: Saddier, Chase Koepka and Jacques Blaauw.

PGA Tour: Charles Howell III was eating breakfast in his hotel in Honolulu when the restaurant started buzzing.

Everyone had their phones. Everyone received the same push alert:

“BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

“All the alarms went off at the same time,” Howell said. “It got everyone’s attention. I didn’t know what to do. We all stared at each other. It kind of shows you the world we live in now. Your whole life can change in a second.”

The push alert turned out to be a mistake. The scare lasted about 10 minutes, depending on the source of information.

A tweet by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii that it was a false alarm made the rounds quickly. But it was long enough to create an unsettling start to the third round of the Sony Open.