By Kent Gray
You’ll be the envy of your golfing buddies forever and probably quite popular with the ladies in your life too.

Former champion Rory McIlroy and his pop star pal Niall Horan have announced a competition where the winner gets to play in their Pro-Am fourball on the eve of the January 25-28 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The sweet prize includes return economy class airfares for the winner and a friend from any capital city in the world, a seven night stay in Dubai, VIP passes to the European Tour event and a new set of sticks from TaylorMade.

And your plus one, presuming you’re the lucky winner, can walk inside the ropes during the Pro-Am on Wednesday, Jan. 24, presumably humming chart-topping songs as Rory gets his 2018 campaign into tune.

Entry to this once-in-a-lifetime competition is not “Too Much to Ask” either (yes, we had to Google the Irish singer-songwriter of One Direction fame to come up with that ditty). All you have to do is download the VoxGolf app, play at least nine holes and upload your score. Your choice of background music in the golf cart and good golf itself is optional.

All the entry details can be found here: Partner McIlroy and Niall Horan in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am

You can even email VoxGolf ([email protected]) if the course you want to play isn’t currently on the app. They vow to have it live within 24 hours to ensure that amateurs everywhere get the opportunity to take part.

Horan’s friendship with McIlroy, who will make his much anticipated 2018 bow at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship the week before Dubai, is well documented.

The multiple award-winning performer, who has sold over 70 million records and signed a recording deal as a solo artist with Capitol Records last year after the hiatus of the boy band One Direction, even caddied for McIlroy during the Par 3 contest at the 2015 U.S. Masters.

Both took to social media in a carefully choreographed campaign to launch the competition.

Having won the famed in 2009 and 2015, McIlroy will go in search of his third Desert Classic title and will be well aware the past two champions at Emirates G.C. – Danny Willett and Sergio Garcia – have gone on to win the U.S. Masters. The green jacket is the one prize the Northern Irishman needs to complete a career Grand Slam.

Garcia is confirmed to defend the famed Dallah alongside PGA Tour star Pat Perez, former Open champions Henrik Stenson and Darren Clarke, Race to Dubai winner Tommy Fleetwood, Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn, Spanish cult hero Miguel Angel Jimenez and European Tour royalty Colin Montgomerie.

Tickets – priced from AED 175 for a daily pass – are available via www.omegadubaidesertclassic.com. Children aged 16 years go free if accompanied by a paying adult.

And fret not if you don’t win the McIlroy-Horan competition by the way. The consolation prize is a Omega ‘Constellation Clinic’ where Horan’s swing is sure to be scrutinized by McIlroy and the Desert Classic’s official starter Paige Spiranac. The clinic will be held on the driving range at Emirates G.C. from 5.30pm after Friday’s second round (Jan.26).