Rory McIlroy cemented his status as golf’s leading player by claiming the Harry Vardon Trophy in Dubai.
The Northern Irishman capped a remarkably consistent season, in which he reclaimed the world No 1 spot and won the FedEx Cup, by finishing top of the DP World Tour rankings after the final event at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
He did fall just short of winning the DP World Tour Championship itself, having posted a final-round 68 to finish on 16-under par for the tournament.
Instead, his European Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm claimed that title, after a dominant final 18.
But McIlroy’s fourth-place finish in the season finale meant he finished top of the Order of Merit, ahead of New Zealand’s Ryan Fox.
Rahm’s title win – his third at the Earth Course ¬- was enough to give the Spaniard third-place in the rankings, while Matt Fitzpatrick ended the season fourth.
For the first two rounds of the Tour Championship, Fitzpatrick appeared the player most likely to halt McIlroy from becoming Europe’s No 1 for a fourth time.
His form cooled at the wrong time, though, and his weekend struggled were capped by an over-par final round.
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
