Rory McIlroy's bid for the Race To Dubai title took a hit when his ball landed in the water on 18, finishing five shots off the lead halfway through the Dubai World Championship on Friday.
The second-ranked McIlroy needs to win at Jumeirah Golf Estates while No. 1 Luke Donald finishes no better than ninth to claim the European money title. Donald is bidding to become the first player to win both the European and American titles.
McIlroy had a 1-under 71 to trail Spanish leader Alvaro Quiros, who eagled the 18th for a 64. Donald shot a 68 and is eight strokes behind the leader, tied for 12th.
After the round, McIlroy said the fatigue he has felt for the past several weeks might be the lingering effects of dengue fever. McIlroy said his illness had not been a factor as he struggled down the stretch in the second round with two late bogeys Friday.
McIlroy said he got blood test results back Thursday that showed that his white blood cell count remained low. He said all he can do is ''keep hydrated'' to help offset the fatigue.
He plans to see a doctor Saturday before determining if he will pull out of the Thailand Golf Championship that starts next week.
Yet, he said of his round Friday: ''To be honest, I don't feel too bad.''
The US Open champion believes he picked up a ''mild case of dengue fever'' when he was playing tournaments in South Korea or China at the end of October and early November. Dengue fever is spread by mosquitoes, generally in tropical areas, and can cause fever, rash and joint pain.
McIlroy also didn't rule out that it could've been a case of food poisoning. He said he didn't have it anymore and was just suffering the ''the lasting effects which my body is trying to fight to obviously get back to 100 percent.''
He said the only way to fully recover is to get plenty of rest, cut down on the travel and ''let my body just get back to full health as quickly as possible.''
