For the past 15 years, no one has done more to put bums on seats at the DP World Tour Championship than Rory McIlroy. But Thursday’s opening day of the 2023 tournament was the first time he had put a ball on someone’s lap there.
Of all the 50 players at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week, the only one Lois Miberon Obajulu would be 100 per cent sure of picking out of a line up would be McIlroy.
She is not the most avid golf fan, but was brought along to the championship by her sister, Yemi Keri, who had travelled from Nigeria especially for two reasons. Firstly, to pay a visit to her sister. And, secondly, to see McIlroy in the flesh.
The siblings thought they had a decent chance of getting close to the Northern Irishman when they settled down on the grass beside the 13th green. They ended up far closer than they ever anticipated.
The world No 2 leaked his tee shot right. Yemi saw it coming, and rolled out the way, only for the ball to settle in the lap of her sister.
“We had been waiting on the tee to see them, then his shot landed on her, and I’m like, ‘Wow!’,” Yemi said.
“You could not be any more up close and personal. He is one of my favourite players and that is the reason we are here: just for him.”
Lois froze, just as her sister instructed her to. All, including McIlroy, waited for a referee to come and make a ruling – and free her from being the centre of attention.
McIlroy initially pretended to set up to hit the shot from her lap. The gallery crowded round, filming the moment on their smartphones. And, finally, she was told she could pass the ball to McIlroy then was free to go.
“This is my first experience of golf so I was a little bit shocked and nervous about what happened,” said Lois, who has lived in Dubai for 10 years, and works as a customer services representative for a geo-logistics company.
“I didn’t know what to do. I only realised the ball was there when it was right in front of my face.
"My sister said I had to let it stay in my lap, and when the golfer comes he will pick it up from me. Even then I was still panicked.
“It was my first experience of this, I was a little shaken, thinking, ‘Oh my God'. And there were lots of cameras on my face.
“Rory asked me only one simple question. He said, ‘I hope you are not supposed to be at work today?’, and I’m not. I’ve got the day off.”
The fun did not stop at 13 for McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had one of his most eventful trips around the Earth Course, reflecting after that it was “the sort of round you play after six weeks off”.
He was grateful for a big slice of fortune at 18. Playing his second shot from the bark clippings on the right of the fairway, he fired an iron shot into the creek which snakes down the middle of the last hole. It bounced out, landed on the small footbridge, and spun back to settle on the grass.
It left him with 170 yards to the hole. He curved his approach to the front portion of the green, and two putted for a par that meant he finished on 1-under par.
“It was typical of my career, I think – very lucky,” McIlroy joked. “I got fortunate on those first couple of shots and did well to end up making a five out of it.
“Honestly, I am just happy to get in under par because it was quite scrappy on the back nine.”
Jon Rahm, the defending champion, did not have quite such luck at the last. His second went in the water and stayed there.
The Spaniard ended up with a bogey six, to complete a level par round of 72. It was the first time in the 17 rounds he has played the Earth Course that the three-time champion has failed to break par.
At least the duo have three rounds to make up the arrears on the leaders. After Round 1, there was a three-way tie at the top between Julien Guerrier, Matthieu Pavon and Nicolai Hojgaard, who each carded 5-under-par rounds of 67.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
More coverage from the Future Forum
Why the Tourist Club?
Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.
In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.
It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.
Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.
Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.
Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
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The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Dubai Women's Tour teams
Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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