'I Was Literally Crying': Dubai Golf Pioneer Gets Farewell From Rory Mcilroy

For the last 32 years, Ganesh Mangathil has been a firm fixture on the golf scene of UAE in his role as the publishing manager at Dubai Golf. As he prepares to retire from his role, the Indian expat received an emotional farewell from none other than world number two Rory McIlroy himself.

“When Rory heard that I was retiring, he said he wanted to stay back and meet me,” Ganesh told Khaleej Times.“I was literally crying. Can you imagine one of the best players in the world waiting for you?”

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

In a video shared on the official account of Hero Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy can be seen hugging Ganesh as the latter shakes his head in disbelief. In a separate video shared with Khaleej Times, McIlroy can be heard saying he was“very lucky” to have to have been able to hand over the long-service memento shaped like a silver dallah (a traditional Arabic coffee pot) to Ganesh.

Watch the video here:

“I have known Rory since he was 14 or 15,” said Ganesh.“I am one of his most ardent fans for the style in which he plays golf, and he personally thanked me for my contributions. What more could I want?”

Having joined the Dubai Golf establishment in 1994, Ganesh was in the finance department before being asked to lead a newly formed publishing and branding section. For the last 27 years, Ganesh and his team have been handling the branding of the Dubai Desert Classic. He has also contributed to some of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the country including those held by Augusta Golf Club, 50 Mena tours across GCC countries as well as thousands of corporate tournaments held at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht club.

Visiting Dubai

His journey in Dubai, however, began quite unexpectedly. Ganesh was working in India when a friend invited him to visit Dubai in 1994.“He asked me to come and check out the city,” he recalled.“I arrived on May 21. The interview was on May 30 and 31 and on July 1, I joined the company. The rest is history.”

He said that the nature of his job was extremely complex and that every board, backdrop, rope and angle had to be perfect because even the smallest flaw would be picked up by broadcast cameras.

“Putting up sponsorship boards on a golf course has a science,” he said.“When the camera passes, people should be there to show how crowded the golf course is, the boards should be visible, and special attention must be paid to all the small details. Since tournaments like the Dubai Desert Classic are broadcast internationally, sponsors monitor for exactly how many seconds their branding appears on screen.”

He said that in the last 32 years, he never felt like he was working because of how much he enjoyed his job.“I haven't taken a single day off sick,” he said.“Some days I have worked from 5am till midnight to ensure that everything ran smoothly. We also have back up plans for adverse weather conditions. For example, this morning the boards had become dirty due to the mist so we made sure to clean it up before the event began.”

Over the years, he has had several memorable moments but the one that stands out the most to him is when he accompanied Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during a golf course visit.“It was my dream to meet him,” he said.“He came three times to the club and once he told me, let us go to the golf course. So, I accompanied him on a golf cart while he drove. He inspected the area and then turned to me and asked, 'do you want a photo'. I was elated. It is a photo I hold close to my heart.”

Now that he is retiring, the first thing on Ganesh's bucket list is to watch and enjoy golf, without having to worry about anything else.“My biggest wish is to go to Augusta Masters, and watch Rory play,” he said.

MENAFN26012026000049011007ID1110649628