It was the exquisite sound Rory McIlroy's golf ball made as it sailed through the air that prompted Khalid Yousuf to believe he was in the presence of greatness.
Yousuf, one of the UAE's leading Emirati players, can clearly remember that strange yet beautiful sound when the Northern Irishman, then a fellow amateur, struck his first tee shot on a Monday morning practice round at the 2007 Dubai Desert Classic.
If you had told Yousuf then that his playing partner would four years later write his name into golf history by dominating the 111th US Open to win his first major by eight strokes, the only surprise would be that his new found friend waited until he was 22 before making that breakthrough.
"I have played with a lot of really great golfers and the thing about them is not their swing, be it good or bad, but it's the ball striking that makes them stand out," said Yousuf, a member of the UAE amateur team who will compete in August's Nomura Cup in Fiji.
"Rory was the best I had seen, even back then before he turned pro. The noise the ball made as it flew through the air was amazing. It was like the sound of air being compressed, which may sound a bit crazy, but it was an incredible noise that only comes when a ball is 100 per cent perfectly hit.
"That's when I knew this guy was a special talent. His ball striking is the best there is and the rest of his game isn't too bad either.
"His first win was at the Desert Classic two years after that first round we had together, which showed me that I was right to think he had something about him."
That maiden victory came at the Emirates Golf Club where one of the professionals is Stephen Deane, a fellow Northern Irishman who was brought up 40 miles from McIlroy's hometown of Holywood.
Deane is six years older than McIlroy and can hardly remember a time when he didn't know about the local kid who was blessed with genius.
He said: "Rory was 12 when he first started to win amateur events, and 15 when he was beating most adults. He shot a record 61 at Royal Portrush from the back tees, at 16, so everyone knew this was someone to watch.
"He won every amateur title in Ireland and I first saw him play in the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down, where I used to work. Everyone could see this guy just had the X-factor, not only what he did on a golf course, but how he carried himself off it while such a young man. He's just got it."
Andrew Whitelaw, the club manager at Emirates Golf Club, was delighted his venue has played its part in the Rory McIlroy story.
"Rory has always been great to watch from the days he played as an amateur in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, to the day he won his first Tour event at Emirates Golf Club in 2009," he said.
"It was fantastic to see him win his first major and I am sure that this will be the first of many."
Nobody is more pleased than Yousuf, who has maintained a strong friendship with McIlroy. The two meet up whenever the Northern Irishman is in the UAE, either to play in a tournament or holiday in Dubai, which he has done for the past few years in the winter.
Yousuf said: "I first came across Rory at an amateur tournament in Scotland six years ago and there was a lot of buzz around him then. I actually didn't get to play with him because he was in the eight-handicap and under group and I was in the other group.
"My coach, Chris Parsons, knows him really well, and he introduced the two of us in 2007.
"We hit it off and became friends from that first round. I stayed up all night to watch him win in the early hours of Sunday morning and I'm so glad he did. It was one of the best golfing performances I have ever seen. After a while I stopped counting the number of records he was breaking."
Will this success change a golfer who everyone says is one of the good guys on tour?
"I think people will treat him differently," Yousuf said. "That can happen if you've just won a major, especially the way he did it. But they really should go approach him in the same way as before.
"I have met Rory's dad, Gerry, a few times and he's just like his dad in that he's a really good person. His life might change now but Rory won't."
ncameron@thenational.ae
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
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Violence%20
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Match info
Bournemouth 1 (King 45 1')
Arsenal 2 (Lerma 30' og, Aubameyang 67')
Man of the Match: Sead Kolasinac (Arsenal)
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Racecard
5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m
6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
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Avatar%20(2009)
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MATCH INFO
English Premiership semi-finals
Saracens 57
Wasps 33
Exeter Chiefs 36
Newcastle Falcons 5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto
Price: From Dh39,500
Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Four-speed auto
Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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