Everyone knows Dubai’s significance in Rory McIlroy’s career. This place has been good to him, and he has achieved so much here. Now that he is back here for the DPWT Championship, chasing Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight titles, and feeling confident, his one move didn’t sit right with fans.
He shared a picture with the Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who frontlined the city’s global sport and tourism aspirations. “Honored to spend time with @HamdanMohammed today. Dubai has been a huge part of my career, and the people and hospitality continue to make it one of my favorite places to play,” he wrote. The two met on the eve of his Dubai campaign at the Earth Course in the Jumeirah Golf Estates.
This post started a wave across social media within minutes. The simple Dubai meetup turned into a debate coliseum. Some fans were glad to see McIlroy meeting Dubai royalty, whereas others gave off a suspicious tone, a few criticizing him as well. For many, this hinted at LIV, but the UAE has always seen Rory roar.
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The Northern Irishman has an astonishing record at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He has four T2 and five T3 finishes in 13 appearances. He has won the Dubai Desert Classic 4 times. He has also bagged the DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates 6 times, but last year’s victory was special, as it tied his record with Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros, leaving him teary-eyed.
“It’s really cool,” Rory McIlroy said, fighting back the tears after the victory. “I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and Ryder Cup players. He means so much to European golf, and for me to be mentioned in the same breath, I’m very proud.” Now, he has returned as one of the world’s best after a spectacular season to defend his title and is looking confident.
“I really like that golf course. It really suits me. Probably suits me a little bit better than this course does this week, just in terms of what you need to do off the tee and into the greens. Yeah, look, this was a great confidence-builder this week coming off a couple weeks off, and hopefully we just produce more of the same next Thursday and onwards,” McIlroy said about Jumeirah Golf Estates in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Dubai has flourished under Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He has been successful in steadily transforming the land into a global golf powerhouse. The city has invested in a class-apart infrastructure and arranged events like the Desert Classic and the Tour Championship to draw cream fields and broadcast reach. Also, he has embraced fitness and participation initiatives through the Dubai Fitness Challenge. With this, the golf community is exploring global markets rather than being U.S.-centric.
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Given Rory McIlroy’s take on LIV Golf, how it has changed over the years, after this post, fans speculated that it is not only for goodwill, but maybe the golfer is bringing a deeper connection with Dubai.
