Jumeirah Group has signed a new 3-year sponsorship deal with the 20-year-old golfing phenomenon Rory McIlroy.

The agreement was signed on the opening day of the Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Course in Dubai by Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman, Jumeirah Group, and Andrew ‘Chubby' Chandler, Managing Director of ISM, Rory McIlroy's management company.

Rory McIlroy first became a Global Ambassador for Jumeirah Group shortly after turning professional in 2007 at the age of 18. By 2009 he had won his first major tournament, the Dubai Desert Classic, which he is defending this week in Dubai. He has also secured second place in the inaugural European Tour Race to Dubai as well as the UBS Hong Kong Open. He opened 2010 a close third in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and currently stands 9th in the World Rankings.

Gerald Lawless said: "Jumeirah is immensely proud to renew its sponsorship of Rory McIlroy. What he has achieved in the past three years is so impressive and we could not wish for a better sportsman to carry our banner globally."

Chubby Chandler said: "It means so much for a golfer of the calibre of Rory to be aligned with a hospitality group that is the epitome of quality in everything it does. Both have great ambitions for the future – and every intention of achieving them. Player/sponsor relationships don't come any closer to the perfect fit that Rory and Jumeirah have developed.   They are two growing global brands, oozing class and quality wherever they reach."

Rory McIlroy said: "Jumeirah has given me a home away from home – they have made me and my family feel so welcome and I feel it was no coincidence that my greatest achievement to date took place here in Dubai last year. One of the greatest things about my links with Jumeirah is how much fun I have wherever I stay, from the unbelievable Burj Al Arab and the other Jumeirah properties in Dubai and London plus Jumeirah Essex House in New York.  Fun and top quality, perfect for me".