World conquering Rory McIlroy's rise from Dubai and a special connection with Jumeirah Hotels

The National

23-04-2025

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.'