It is pretty rare to win a major award in sports and have the reaction be negative. The golfer Padraig Harrington won the PGA Tour player of year award. There is no question he deserved the award. Harrington won back-to-back majors to cap a career year.
When the award was announced, I was in a room with three fellow sports journalists. We all looked at each other and said almost simultaneously, "well, he didn't win it against Tiger." Tiger Woods was absent from both of Harrington's major wins with a season-ending knee injury.
This is what golf has become to American sports fans. Golf is either with Tiger or without Tiger. All jokes aside, after a stellar US Open where Tiger and Rocco Mediate enthralled fans for five days, ratings for the following two majors that Harrington won were dramatically lower without Woods. From 2007 to 2008, ABC's ratings for the British Open were down fifteen percent.
To look at the current state of golf, you have to tip your cap to what Tiger Woods has done for the sport over the past decade. Golf had been a popular sport in America before Tiger arrived on the scene, but he took it to a new level.
He made majors must-watch TV for the casual sports fan and even people who have no interest in the sport. I don't play golf, at all. However, if I see Tiger on the leader board, I plan my Sunday around his final round. I wasn't alone. Television ratings have gone up and stayed up during Woods' reign. According to Darren Rovell, CNBC Sports Business Reporter: "Tiger playing on a Sunday in a major is a cash cow for the networks. When he's not there, it's not a disaster, but it's close."
So for the second half of the year, the sport of golf got a glimpse of life PT (Post Tiger) and it wasn't pretty. Covering sports for a living, the story of the second half was not about who was playing well or winning those majors, it was about who was not there. That is not how it should be, but that is how it is. Two minutes after winning the British Open, poor Harrington had to answer questions about winning a major with Woods not present. Not fair.
Now the watch is on to see when he will return. When he was on our radio show in October, he pledged that he would be ready for The Masters. A promise to fans and maybe a warning to his competitors.
The most dramatic part of the golf off-season was when Woods' caddie Steve Williams made disparaging comments about golfer Phil Mickelson in a New Zealand newspaper.
"I wouldn't call Mickelson a great player," Williams said, "because I hate the [expletive]. I don't particularly like the guy. He pays me no respect at all and hence I don't pay him any respect. It's no secret we don't get along either."
Mickelson shot back.
"After seeing Steve Williams' comments, all I could think of was how lucky I am to have a class act like Bones [Jim Mackay] on my bag and representing me," he said.
Tiger had to clean up the mess with a statement of his own. "I was disappointed to read the comments attributed to Steve Williams about Phil Mickelson, a player that I respect," he said in a statement.
"It was inappropriate. The matter has been discussed and dealt with."
The good part of this back and forth was it upped the rivalry between Woods and Mickelson. The bad part is that unless Mickelson, Harrington and other can step up to Woods' level, the sport will continue to be dominated by Tiger. This might be good fornow, but this year we got a peek at the future of golf without arguably the most popular athlete in the world on the course. Tiger took the sport to the masses. The concern is, when he leaves, will they?
ppabst@thenational.ae
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Business Insights
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani