Rory McIlroy had a tearful end to what he described as “absolutely” the most emotionally draining year he has ever had, as he signed off 2024 with a triumphant Dubai double.
The Northern Irishman held off the challenge of Rasmus Hojgaard to win the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
That was the exclamation mark on his resounding success in the Race to Dubai. It was his third Harry Vardon Trophy in a row, and his sixth in all.
When he was reminded, in a flash interview straight after holing the putt that won the tournament, that had tied the number of order of merit wins Seve Ballesteros had, McIlroy had to wipe away tears.
Ballesteros, the late Spanish great, had been the favourite player of McIlroy’s dad, and is still the driving force behind the European Ryder Cup side of which McIlroy has been a mainstay for so long.
“Personally, for me, it is a huge achievement,” McIlroy said.
“All week, it has been building and building. After the first round, I played well and Thriston [Lawrence, the only challenger left to McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings] was a little bit behind.
“It felt like a little bit of a foregone conclusion, but it never really hits you until it actually happens.
“I just think about what Seve means to the game, to this tour, and to the European Ryder Cup team. We sit in the locker room at the Ryder Cup and the place is just filled with Seve quotes.
“We had a changing room last year in Italy with the last shirt he ever wore when he played the Ryder Cup at Oakhill in ’95.”
McIlroy ended up winning by two strokes at the Earth Course, but had required a fine finish to edge out Hojgaard, as well as stave off the nerves that have betrayed him a number of times during close finishes this season.
“I think it was that combined with the fact I have had so many close calls this year, and I certainly didn’t make it easy for myself on the back nine,” McIlroy said.
“The combination of the Seve thing and the fact I got over the line for the first time in what has felt like a long time, the emotion of it all hit me.
“This is a big day for me to end 2024 like this. It means a lot, and I am looking forward to 2025.”
While he professed himself satisfied with what he has achieved this season, he acknowledged that his campaign might be defined by the wins he didn’t get as much as the ones he did.
Most recently, he lost out in a play-off at the BMW PGA Championship, and before that had lost by a stroke to Hojgaard at the Amgen Irish Open.
His most significant narrow loss was when Bryson DeChambeau stole the US Open from him when it was within McIlroy’s grasp.
The world No 3 also referenced the fact he has had a tough time away from the course. Before signing his card after his final-round 69 at JGE, he kissed his daughter Poppy and wife Erica, and said he looked forward to celebrating this win with them.
“This was an incredibly meaningful day for me to get over the line and win my last tournament of the season,” McIlroy said.
“It’s been quite the year. But I’m super happy with where I am in my career and in my life, and I feel like everything’s worked out the way it was supposed to.”
Of his three individual wins this year, two have come in Dubai. He started out the season with a last-hole loss to Tommy Fleetwood at the Dubai Invitational, then defended his Desert Classic title at Emirates Golf Club.
To bookend the campaign, he will be taking away two trophies from the city this time. It is the third time he has won both the Tour Championship and the Race to Dubai.
“I have never been offered [UAE citizenship] but if I were to be offered, I probably would take it, yeah,” McIlroy said of the city he once called home.
“I lived here for four years. I was a resident. I love this part of the world. I always have. I was lucky enough to receive an invite to the Dubai Desert Classic in 2006 as an amateur, and I've been coming back to this region every year since.
“It’s been 18 pretty cool years. There have been a lot of fond memories along the way, and as long as this region continues to be an important part of the world of golf, I'll keep coming back.
“I love coming back here, and I have a lot of friends, and I try to make it a point to come back as much as I can.”
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
SPECS
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Sunday's games
All times UAE:
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace, 4pm
Manchester City v Arsenal, 6.15pm
Everton v Watford, 8.30pm
Chelsea v Manchester United, 8.30pm
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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."
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
