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Coronavirus: Dubai doctor gets thank you surprise of a lifetime

Dubai - Dr Eleanor McCarthy was surprised by four of the biggest names in the world of golf

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A Dubai frontline doctor was given the surprise of a lifetime, when she got to meet four of the biggest names in the world of golf ahead of the DP World Tour Championship that ended Sunday.

Dr Eleanor McCarthy, who works as a family medicine consultant at King’s College Hospital London in Dubai, is a keen golfer herself. When she was invited out to the Jumeirah Golf Estates, she was made to believe it was for an interview for the European Tour to discuss the impact of the pandemic on Dubai’s healthcare community.

In a heartwarming turn of events, however, the medical professional finally discovered it was all an elaborate setup, arranged by DP World and the European Tour as a way to recognise the hard work she and her colleagues have been involved in since the start of the pandemic.

A video released by the organisers documented the entire surprise.

In it, Dr Eleanor is seen seated before an interviewer, who has begun asking questions. Her eyes widen as she spots Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter walking towards her on the course.

Although the doctor manages to retain her composure (believing the interview in progress to be a real one), she does miss the interviewer’s question, and has to ask him to repeat the query.

Ian, however, interrupts the proceedings to introduce himself — and invite her to play a round of golf instead.

“I saw those trousers on Instagram this morning,” Dr Eleanor manages to say, referring to Ian’s attire, which sports a rather distinct print.

“That’s awesome,” Ian responds. “But what’s more awesome is the work that you, and all your colleagues have done and are continuing to do.”

The pro golfer proceeds to invite the frontliner to hit a few golf shots. “I never can’t speak; I can’t speak,” says a visibly stunned but joyful Eleanor.

The duo was eventually joined by two-time DP World Tour Championship winner Henrik Stenson, and five-time European Tour winner Tommy Fleetwood (Dr Eleanor’s personal favourite player). English golfer Lee Westwood put in a cameo appearance too.

Ian, a DP World ambassador, later shared: “It was an honour for me to share some time with [Eleanor], when she’s shared all her time in the last 10 months with everyone else… Katie, my wife, was a nurse — and nurses and doctors are very special people. They’re carers from the heart; they truly are a special breed.”

For Dr Eleanor, the chance to play a round with “some of the world’s best golfers” was truly an experience to remember. “It’s been lovely to put a proper smile on my face for a day,” she said. “I can’t remember the last time I completely forgot about work, so today has been amazing. There is so much more work to be done and I feel privileged that I got a little bit of respite from that and had an amazing day.”

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