In the time since Rory McIlroy completed the career grand slam by winning the Masters, paeans have been written, and his place in the sport’s pantheon assured.
Some golf has even been played, too. Such has been the comedown after Augusta, it was easy to miss the fact that Justin Thomas had returned to the PGA Tour winner’s circle on Sunday.
McIlroy himself skipped last week’s RBC Heritage event, taking his private jet to see his parents in Northern Ireland instead.
If he stopped to have a look round Holywood while he was there, he might have noticed everyone was reveling in his achievement.
Images of his smiling face adorned shop windows, and, for £1.20 a pop, he could have bought biscuits from the bakery with his face on the icing.
McIlroy’s epic Masters win felt like a communal experience. Everyone felt like they had a part share in the emotions of a player who has sat on the edge of greatness for the past 11 years.
Clearly, his hometown in Northern Ireland has first dibs on him. But in Dubai, it feels like we have watched him grow in front of us, too.
McIlroy first played the Dubai Desert Classic as a 16-year-old amateur on a sponsor’s invite in 2006.
That was the first tournament he won as a professional three years later, by which point he was wearing the branding of his Dubai-based sponsors, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts.
Of the 44 professional titles he has won, seven have come in Dubai – a record four Desert Classics, and three DP World Tour Championships. He has also lifted the Race to Dubai trophy six times at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
No wonder he replied, back in November, to a question about whether he would accept UAE citizenship, stating: “I have never been offered it but if I were to be offered, I probably would take it.
“I lived here for four years,” McIlroy said back then. “I was a resident. I love this part of the world. I always have.”
It is fair to say his one-time home has a deep affinity for him, too.
“I think there is a very, very strong connection between Rory McIlroy and Dubai,” said Chris May, the chief executive of Dubai Golf.
“We are really lucky in this part of the world to see a lot of him, but we really shouldn’t take him for granted.
“He has now proven himself to be one of the greats. He enjoys his time here, and hopefully that will continue for many years to come.”
May points out McIlroy’s association with the city predates him coming to play in the Classic aged 16.
“He had arrived at the academy building with three friends,” May recalls of a time when he was working as the general manager at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club.
“All they wanted to do was go and play the par-3, and they were waiting for it to open. They went round and round and round and round again, just practising their short game and having fun.
“He was always a really nice, polite kid as an amateur, and he is a great ambassador for the game of golf.
"I think Dubai can be very proud he has achieved something that was historic by becoming the sixth person to win all four majors.”
May must be the envy of the majority of golf fans in that he was there to witness McIlroy’s Masters’ success in the flesh.
He was part of a group of golf administrators from Dubai who travelled to Augusta as part of the planning for the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship.
That tournament, which will be played at Emirates Golf Club in October, carried with it a place at the 2026 Masters and Open Championship for the winner.
The delegation from Dubai were able to mix business with what must be the ultimate pleasure for golf aficionados by watching McIlroy make history.
May, for example, was 20 yards away from where he hit his approach for the ages on the 15th hole in the final round.
“You just never knew who was going to win,” May said. “It must have been amazing to watch it all unfold on TV, but there are no screens at Augusta.
"But the atmosphere of the crowds was something I don’t think I’ll ever experience again.”
Completing the career slam has meant plenty of scope for reflection on McIlroy’s achievements to date.
Revisiting his first two major wins – the 2011 US Open and 2012 PGA Championship – what was striking when viewed from Dubai was the logo on his shirt and cap.
Jumeirah had never sponsored a golfer before. Alaister Murray, the company’s chief financial officer and a single-handicap golfer, had long been aware of a young whizzkid from near where he was from, back in Northern Ireland.
When Murray arrived at the company in 2002, McIlroy was already a scratch golfer, despite being barely a teenager.
He recommended him to Jumeirah, and they became his sponsor on the day he turned professional in 2007.
“It was Alaister who thought it might be a good idea to sponsor this up-and-coming young amateur,” Gerald Lawless, who was Jumeirah’s chief executive at the time, said.
“Alaister said Jumeirah should look to sponsor him under the brand, and I said, ‘You’re the CFO, I'm only the CEO. Go ahead and talk to them, and see what happens'.”
By the time they parted in 2013, and McIlroy became a Nike athlete instead, he had become the best player in the world and was halfway to a career grand slam.
“It is very special the relationship we had with him over the five-year period he was sponsored by Jumeirah,” Lawless said.
“As a fellow Irish person, I was always very pleased that Rory was doing so well. He went from amateur to world No 1 in the five years he was associated with Jumeirah.
“That is quite an achievement for him, and quite a joyful thing for the sponsor, as you could imagine. We were naturally very proud of him.
“He was a real gentleman, and we always enjoyed his company when he was with us. I was very nervous watching him play because it means so much to see him winning.
“What he has now achieved is thoroughly deserved, and we have always felt very privileged to have been involved with him and to have known him.”
Murray, who is now back living in Northern Ireland, said: “He is a remarkable young man.
“He is grounded still, a testament to his upbringing, with great parents and a wonderful broader family circle.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Rory and his close family. He is now a true legend in the golf and broader sporting world. It was never in doubt.”
McIlroy, who returns to playing when he partners Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic on Thursday, has always inflated the gallery sizes whenever he has played in Dubai.
And May thinks they will be amplified further following what happened at the Masters.
“I don’t think, since the height of Tiger Woods’ career, we have seen anyone close to him but Rory,” May said.
“When Rory plays next in Dubai, the crowds are definitely going to be very large, and will feature as many non-golf fans as golf fans.”
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 5
Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45' 1, 83'
Huddersfield 0
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
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BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
MATCH INFO
Group B
Bayern Munich v Tottenham, midnight (Thursday)
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
UAE v Zimbabwe A, 50 over series
Fixtures
Thursday, Nov 9 - 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 11 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Monday, Nov 13 – 2pm, Dubai International Stadium
Thursday, Nov 16 – 2pm, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 18 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
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Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 2,000m
8.50pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; (D) 2,000m
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Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
