The National's Sport cover for the Tuesday, January 13 issue, featuring John McAuley's extensive delve into the background behind Rory McIlroy and his rise to the undisuputed best golfer in the world.
McAuley goes to Holywood, McIlroy's hometown, talks to friends and family and visits his boyhood club as he traces the steps that took a young Northern Irish boy the pinnacle of the sport.
“While McIlroy’s allure is enduring, even as he strikes off another major or milestone, he does not show it,” writes McAuley.
“Ask anyone and the response rings familiar: despite the majors and the world ranking, it is the exact same Rory, feet planted firmly on the ground while his game goes stratospheric.”
“That’s the reason he’s so well-liked,” Ricky McCormick, the assitant pro at Holywood and a good friend of McIlroy’s, says. “He’s very honest, very level-headed and us – his friends and family – we keep him quite grounded. Nothing’s changed.”
McIlroy will begin his season on Thursday here for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
