INTERVIEW: Why Dubai is home from home for McIlroy

Joy Chakravarty 21:15 03/02/2016
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  • Rory McIlroy is a two-time Dubai Desert Classic champion.

    World No2 Rory McIlroy has paid a glowing tribute to the UAE for playing a massive role in his development as a golfer.

    The 26-year-old Northern Irishman came to Dubai for the first time as a 16-year-old wide-eyed amateur, and after missing the cut that year in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, he followed the then world No1 Tiger Woods

    for the next two days.

    Times have obviously changed. McIlroy is the new Pied Piper of Golf. He has climbed to the top of the world rankings twice and won four major championships, apart from winning the European Tour Race to Dubai crown three times.

    As they say, the world is his oyster now, but the reigning European No1 said the UAE would always remain close to his heart.

    He recorded his first cut in a European Tour event in the 2007 Dubai Desert Classic, and then went on to win his first professional title in the same tournament in 2009.

    Speaking exclusively to Sport360 in an interview while attending a meet and greet function for his sponsors Bose, McIlroy said: “First Dubai Desert Classic, I was 16.

    It is amazing that 10 years have flown by so quickly.

    “The UAE has been a massive part of my development as a golfer. My first European Tour cut and win was here, and my first big sponsors, Jumeirah, are obviously based here. I have made a number of friends here in the Middle East and developed some great relationships.

    “This feels like a home away from home. In fact, it is my second home as I have a place here and I spend almost a couple of months in Dubai.

    “Obviously, I have won here four times, so that’s almost 20 per cent of my career wins. It’s been a great place for me to prepare for my season, to practice and to play events. So yes, the UAE has been a very important place for my development as a golfer and as a person.”

    McIlroy fast facts

    • Turned professional in 2007.
    • Four-time major champion.
    • Three-time Ryder Cup winner.
    • Youngest player to reach $10 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour.

    What has worked out even better for McIlroy is the time he spends in the UAE dat the beginning of every season. He shakes off his rust with a few days of practice at the Butch Harmon School of Golf, and then plays the tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, while fine-tuning his game further during the one week in between.

    “It is very important for me to have a place like that. This is my ninth year in a row doing this – coming here and spending 10 days or a couple of weeks before the new season. I mean, you are guaranteed good facilities and good weather and you can get a lot of quality work done,” said McIlroy, who is the defending champion at the Dubai Desert Classic this week.

    “I have always felt that this is a really important part of my season – it sets the tone of what might happen in the months ahead. If I can get off to a good start with good preparation and two good tournaments that I normally play every year, it is the perfect start for me.”

    Another Dubai connection that McIlroy cherishes is Dubai Duty Free’s sponsorship of the Irish Open, which is hosted by his foundation.

    “I was talking about having great relationships in the UAE, and this is a great example,” said McIlroy. “Obviously, Dubai Duty Free is run by a bunch of Irishmen, but what Colm McLoughlin and others have done for the brand and for Dubai is incredible. I believe their revenue is set to cross $2 billion. It is an amazing organisation and it is just huge for the Irish Open for such a big name like Dubai Duty Free to get involved. I think my relationship helped, but then for them to come and see what we were trying to do through the Rory Foundation helped as well.

    “Last year, it was played at Royal County Down, and 10 minutes from the golf course, we helped build Daisy Lodge, a respite centre for cancer patients. We gave them a million pounds to finish the project. This year, what we are trying to do now is build a Daisy Lodge 2 near Dublin, where this year’s Irish Open will be played.

    “The Rory Foundation is focused on children. It’s for children coming from physical disability, mental disability, or tough upbringing where they are not getting good education, or don’t have a support system. I am just trying to give children a second chance.

    “One thing I am very appreciative of is how my mum and dad have put everything into me, not as a golfer, but as a person. I feel I have had a great chance in life to become a better person, and there are so many children
    who don’t get that chance.

    “As time goes on, we will spread our reach wider and not just focus on Ireland. I get to attend such events every day and play golf – this is not even a job, it is a dream-come-true for me. And I want to make that possible in children who may not be as fortunate.”

    Charity work has become an integral part of McIlroy’s life, and he spoke of the time when he realised there was so much more to life than golf.

    “In 2011, right after I had lost the Masters, I had a chance to visit Haiti, which was devastated by an earthquake, as part of a UNICEF programme,” said McIlroy.

    “It worked out for me in a very selfish manner actually. I really did not know then whether I would get another chance to win a major again. I even remember thinking to myself ‘why are you so nervous over a golf
    shot? It’s important to you, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s really not that important’.

    “To see the hardship that the people of Haiti went through, it gave me a sense of perspective. There were kids who could not get education, there were kids who could not even get clean water. Again, they just did not seem to have a second chance.

    “It definitely made me realise that there are much more bigger things out there than me winning a golf tournament. Since that experience, giving back has become a huge part of my life. I want to help in whichever way possible.”

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