Unlikely buddies Niall Horan (pop sensation) and Rory McIlroy (professional golfer) will be in Dubai this weekend for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament.
And while Horan can look back at 2017 as the year he released his first solo album Flicker — and hit the road for the first time since One Direction’s 2016 hiatus — McIlroy spent it recovering from a season-halting injury.
The 28-year-old sustained a rib fracture at the South African Open Championship in January that took him out of commission. A year later and he’s scheduled to compete at the Emirates Golf Club from January 25-28, following his 2009 and 2015 wins in Dubai.
McIlroy will be joined for a ProAm match on January 24 by fellow Irishman and friend Horan, who runs the golf management company Modest Golf!. The 24-year-old singer-turned-sportsman is looking forward to soaking up some rays of sunshine on Dubai’s zip line, too.
Gulf News tabloid! hopped on a phone call with each of them back in December to find out how their friendship blossomed — and what they have planned for their visit. The edited and converged conversations follow.
Firstly, you and golf, Niall — how did that happen?
Horan: I’ve clearly got a big passion for the game. I just started to fall in love with it more and more, started my own management company within golf and started signing players. I’m friends with a few of the golfers, as well. It just kind of happened, organically.
On a scale from one to Rory McIlroy, how good are you on the golf course?
Horan: Nowhere near him, anyway. [laughs] I’m alright — I’m at a handicap of nine, which is single figures. I don’t get to play as much as I would like to, which would make me a better golfer if I could, obviously. I would say from me to Rory McIlroy, it’s a three.
How did you two strike a friendship? It’s a bit of an unlikely one.
McIlroy: The first time we met was down in Australia at the end of 2013. He was down there touring with One Direction and I was playing a golf tournament. Niall is one of the most famous people in the world right now, and deservedly so with everything he’s doing in music. But I think we have a little bit in common. He’s a really nice lad, he’s very humble for being in the position he’s in and he’s great company.
There a lot of people who get excited to meet you. Are there any professional golfers that you were particularly nervous to meet yourself?
Horan: When I met Tiger Woods, I was a bit blown away. I was on the driving range with Rory, and we were walking towards Tiger and he was like, ‘Have you met Tiger before?’ I was like, ‘No, I haven’t!’ I was definitely extremely nervous. The man is the king. It was mind-blowing. He’s the reason we all play golf, anyone from Rory’s age down.
What are some of the misconceptions that people have about golf?
McIlroy: That it’s for, obviously, old [or] sort of older people. Especially with, say, Tiger Woods coming on the scene twenty years ago, it gave golf a better image. And then having people like Niall involved with golf, hopefully that will encourage youngsters and younger people to take the game up and play it. Because it’s not all stuffy and rules and this and that. It’s a lot more open than it used to be.
Being Irish, are you worried at all about the strength and intensity of our sun in Dubai?
Horan: Of course, I’m pretty much worried about the sun everywhere we go. It’s going to be warm [but] I’m standing in, like, 2 degree weather here, so I’m looking forward to getting a bit of sun and hitting a few golf balls in the sunshine instead of hitting off what is effectively a concrete path, with all the ice that’s here at the moment.
You play in all kinds of different climates, Rory, but it gets pretty hot out here. What kind of difficulties does that present?
McIlroy: I’ll play in Dubai at the end of January and then my next event is in California at the start of February. Let’s say in Dubai, it’s 25 degrees. At that time of year near San Francisco, it could be 12 degrees. There’s a big temperature difference, and the ball flies a lot differently in those conditions, as well. The time of year that we play in Dubai, the conditions, you just couldn’t get it any better.
Niall, we heard you say you want to try the zip line here, too. Would you consider yourself a thrill seeker, or are there some things that scare you off?
Horan: That kind of thing I would [do]! There’s a lot of stuff in Dubai that I would like to do, actually. I’m not too adventurous. I’d probably do a bungee before I’d skydive.
Have you been getting more downtime lately? What do you like to get up to?
Horan: I just finished tour the other day for the year, which is great. Now we get to chill, because we’ve been working hard this year. Generally [I play] a lot of golf. Right now it’s too cold to play golf here — I may be a fair-weather golfer. Yesterday I sat and did absolutely nothing and caught up on all the TV I’d missed out on. I like to stay indoors when I’m off.
What is it about golf that makes it so appealing to people in the entertainment industry?
Horan: It kind of gets us away from the madness of our jobs, really. Our lives are quite hectic, and golf is one of those sports that either relaxes you or makes you go crazy. But for me it relaxes me — what happens on the golf course stays on the golf course type thing. It’s a different challenge. We live very competitive lives… So it’s kind of a new sort of competitiveness.
Do you have a playlist to get you pumped before you hit the golf course?
Horan: Ah, no, I can’t listen to music before I play golf. Depending what side of the bed I get out of in the morning, it decides how I’m going to play on the golf course, and if I’m in a really good mood, I might get a few tunes on the range, but I try to get into [the zone] before I get out there, because I’m a bit weird like that.
You mentioned we wouldn’t want to hear you sing. Are there any other talents you have we’d be surprised to know about? Any party tricks?
McIlroy: Party tricks? Not really. I’d be pretty boring in that regard. Mostly the golf — it’s a full-time thing. I don’t really get much time to practice anything else.
Entertainers seem to be attracted to golf more than any other sport. Why do you think that is?
McIlroy: Whether you’re at the top of your field at anything, I think you’re a perfectionist. With golf, it’s hard to perfect it, so it’s a constant challenge. You’re working on your game, and maybe one day you feel like it’s really there, and the next day it’s not. For a lot of these guys that are on tour or they’re shooting a movie … maybe they have a day or two off and they’re able to go to the golf course. It’s a nice time for them to get outside for four, five hours of play.
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General Admission tickets to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic start at Dh175. Go to omegadubaidesertclassic.com.
