McIlroy Dreams of $2.5M Hole-in-One

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Rory McIlroy will happily chance his arm to bag a $2.5 million prize pot with one swing of his club at this weekend's Dubai Desert Classic, as the twice major winner aims to continue his encouraging form in the Middle East.

Organisers in the Arab city-state are offering the sum for a hole-in-one at the Emirates Golf Club's 17th.

Given hole-in-one opportunities are normally reserved for par-3s, trying to land one on a par-4 is not without risks. But, with such a tempting prize on offer, the Northern Irishman is unlikely to be the only one willing to take a chance.

"There are not many chances you have to win $2.5 million in one shot, so I'll give it a go," McIlroy told a news conference ahead of the event in Dubai, which starts tomorrow.

Asked if he would risk such an attempt if he was three shots clear in the final round, McIlroy replied: "I mean, if you're confident enough with your driver, yeah, why not.

"It mightn't even be a driver, that's the thing. If they move the tee up, it's only going to play 295 or 300 yards. It's a 3-wood. Yeah, why not?"

Whether the 24-year-old would actually take such a gamble remains open to debate but McIlroy's confidence will have been boosted by his recent showings.

Having endured a pretty torrid 2013, the former world number one has begun to find his form in recent weeks, securing the Australian Open title in December before finishing joint-second at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship earlier this month.

McIlroy has also achieved plenty of success in the past in Dubai - his first ever pro tournament win was the 2009 Desert Classic, while his last victory on the European Tour came in November 2012 at the DP World Tour Championships in the emirate.

"Yeah, I'm playing well. I played well in Abu Dhabi and feel like my game has came on a little bit since then as well," he said when asked about his chances this weekend.

"It's always good to get a win early on in the season, and it would be nice to be up there at least and challenging for the trophy on Sunday."

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Wizard of Oz Still Number 6

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Rory McIlroy remains at No. 6 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking released on Monday and unaffected by his last hole win at the Emirates Australian Open in Sydney. Only 32 world-ranking points were available to the winner at Royal Sydney, so McIlroy remained more than .64 average points behind No. 5 Justin Rose.

Adam Scott moved ever closer to the world No. 1, Tiger Woods, after his blitz through the Australian triple crown. 

After wins at the Australian PGA and Australian Masters, followed by a third-place finish at the World Cup and at the Australian Open, Scott is now 1.7 points behind Woods  - the closest he has ever been to topping the rankings. 

The only movement in the top 10 was No. 10 Jason Day, who swapped places with Jason Dufner after a T-6 finish at the Australian Open. 

Charl Schwartzel jumped from No. 21 to No. 18 with his successful defense of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Hideki Matsuyama moved from No. 25 to No. 23 after his victory at the Japan Tour’s Casio World Open. 

The rest of the top 10: Woods, Scott, Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson, Rose, McIlroy, Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker, Brandt Snedeker and Day.

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Emirates Flies into Irish Open Action

Photo: Jorg Dichmann

Emirates, the Official Airline of the Irish Open, is making final preparations for its newest Irish sponsorship, with the finishing touches being put to the international carrier’s two marquees and course branding, which have already been spotted on the grounds of Royal Portrush Golf Club.

The Irish Open, the final three days of which have sold out, is being held for the fourth time at Royal Portrush, and the first since 1947.

“Since we launched the Emirates service in Ireland in January, we’ve been connecting thousands of people direct from Dublin to Dubai and onwards to over 120 destinations,” said Margaret Shannon, Country Manager for Ireland. 

“For four days, we’ll be making some new connections as the Emirates team meets with and welcomes the thousands of golf fans at Royal Portrush, and we are looking forward to a spectacular tournament.

“This sponsorship affirms Emirates’ commitment to the Irish market and further extends our support of a sport that brings people together from all over the world – players and spectators alike.”

It has come as no surprise that this tournament has caught the imagination of the golfing public, with local favourites Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell attracting many of the 100,000 spectators expected to flock through the gates at Royal Portrush. 

The stellar line-up of world-class players also includes Colin Montgomerie, Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington, Francesco Molinari, Paul Lawrie and Keegan Bradley.

In the public area, Emirates will give golf fans a taste of the ‘Emirates Experience’ with its new club house, a 25m lounge area which will provide fans the same warm welcome passengers receive on their Emirates flights, with cabin crew offering cooling face towels, among other customised service features.

In addition, spectators will be able to keep track of the action on the course from the comfortable seating area which features a plasma screen with a live broadcast feed, in addition to accessing unique golf applications on specially-designated iPads.

The pre-tournament Pro-Am will take place on Wednesday June 27, in which a number of celebrities – including actors Bill Murray and Aidan Quinn, and singer Ronan Keating – are expected to play. Emirates will host three teams in the Pro-Am, all of whom will get the unique chance to play with internationally-renowned golfers. 

As a leading supporter of golf tournaments across the globe, Emirates is the Official Airline of 16 events in 2012, as well as the Official Partner of the European Ryder Cup Team. Nine of the tournaments it sponsors are on the European Tour International Schedule, including the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity, Alstom Open de France, Avantha Masters, Malaysian Open, BMW International Open, WGC-HSBC Champions, Barclays Singapore Open and Ballantine’s Championship.

It also supports the Emirates Airline Invitational, Thailand Open, Australian PGA Championship and the Emirates Australian Open, as well as the Japan Open Golf Championship (Men’s, Ladies and Seniors).

Emirates extends its support of golf by allowing passengers to check in a set of golf clubs free of charge – in addition to their normal checked baggage allowance – in any class of service on all of its flights.

Emirates flies daily from Dublin to Dubai with one of the most modern aircrafts in the world, the Boeing 777-300ER, which was introduced to the route last month, increasing capacity by over 50 per cent, because of strong demand. 

Customers departing Dublin can take advantage of the airline’s 123 destination network, travelling to places such as Australia, India, the Seychelles, Thailand and South Africa, with just one stop at Emirates’ exclusive Terminal 3 in Dubai.

Emirates Sponsor Irish Open

Emirates has announced its first sponsorship in Ireland by becoming the Official Airline of the Irish Open.

The 2012 Irish Open, which takes place in the spectacular surrounds of the Royal Portrush Golf Club, from June 28 - July 1, is one of the premier events on The European Tour calendar.

The tournament is set to feature home grown favourites and major champions Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke along with three-time Major Championship winner Padraig Harrington from the Republic of Ireland and an array of the world’s finest golfers. The three-year sponsorship deal is a further demonstration of Emirates’ commitment to Ireland following the highly successful launch of its Dublin service on January 9. 

“We have entered into another major sponsorship, supporting sport in Ireland and connecting with golf enthusiasts around the world,” said Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation. “Irish golfers have never had a higher profile, with no fewer than nine current tournament winners active on the European Tour."

“Emirates is a world-class partner that brings added global exposure and prestige to the Irish Open,” said James Finnigan of The European Tour and the Commercial Director of the Irish Open. 

"This event has massive appeal, attracting audiences from all over the world, so it’s appropriate that a like-minded sponsor with an extensive global reach and a strong foothold in golf is on-board.”

The agreement with the Irish Open includes course branding, tournament hospitality, advertising, on-site activity including an exhibition unit and team participation in the Tournament Pro-Am. 

In addition to the Irish Open, Emirates is supporting 14 further golf events in 2012 as Official Airline, of which seven are tournaments on The European Tour International Schedule.

Emirates has a number of prominent sponsorships familiar to Irish fans, including Official Carrier status at the Dubai World Cup, where Irish horses, trainers and jockeys have excelled in recent years, while its sponsorship of Arsenal remains hugely popular in Ireland since the heydays of Liam Brady and Frank Stapleton.

Emirates flies daily from Dubai to Dublin with a modern Boeing 777-300ER, recently upgraded because of strong demand. The aircraft carries the award-winning ice entertainment system, with more than 600 channels of films, TV programmes, music, audio books and games, while highly trained cabin crew are on hand to serve gourmet-chef prepared food. A complimentary chauffeur-drive service, to and from the airport, is available to First Class and Business Class passengers.

Customers departing Dublin can take advantage of the airline’s 123 destination network, travelling to places such as Australia, India, Seychelles, Thailand and South Africa, with just one stop at Emirates’ exclusive Terminal 3 in Dubai.

In addition to generous luggage allowances; 30 kilos in Economy, 40 kilos in Business Class and 50 kilos in First Class, Emirates’ passengers may also check in one set of golf clubs and one pair of golf shoes free of charge in any class of service on any Emirates’ flight.