Jordan Spieth versus Rory McIlroy: that’ll do nicely, Abu Dhabi.
It is a little churlish to gloss over the inclusion of Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson in January’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, for they rank fifth and seventh in the world respectively, but the announcement that arguably the game’s two leading lights have chosen the UAE capital to resume rivalry was met with justifiable fanfare on Wednesday.
To be fair, that so-called rivalry, as it has been billed since Spieth’s major breakthrough at the Masters in April, has never really got going, never been allowed to reach full-throttle in the months since.
A quick synopsis: McIlroy was golf's Next Big Thing, then golf's Undisputed Big Thing, then usurped by Spieth, golf's Current Big Thing. A breakout 2015 sealed the young Texan's rise, lifted him to the summit and onto television shows and the cover of magazines, Sports Illustrated included.
Spieth had triumphed at June’s US Open, successive majors to call time on McIlroy’s reign. The “McIlroy Era” quickly became the “Spieth Era”. The king is dead. Long live the king.
The summer shoot-out, expected to continue some time into the distant future, never materialised once McIlroy ruptured ligaments in his left ankle. During the downtime, Spieth missed out on the play-off at The Open by one shot, where McIlroy should have been defending, before finishing runner-up at the US PGA Championship. McIlroy, returning to competition for the first time, came home tied-for 17th.
The two, now ranked No. 1 and No. 3, have since contested four events together, with each bettering the other twice. At last week’s WGC-HSBC Champions, Spieth finished tied-seventh to McIlroy’s tied-11th, although the Northern Irishman was initially handicapped by a bout of food poisoning.
In truth, there remains the sense that his month-long lay-off this summer set him back, allowed Spieth, Fowler and Jason Day to shine in his absence. Before his injury, McIlroy had won three times in 2015.
So onto Abu Dhabi, where Spieth and McIlroy next lock horns. It marks the beginning of their respective 2016 seasons, perhaps the beginning of that much-coveted, long-yearned-for rivalry, too. The “McIlroy-Spieth Era”. Both refreshed and refocused, both keyed in on the other and on the year ahead.
Fowler and Day will no doubt have something to say about that, and rightly so, but for four days in Abu Dhabi the golfing world will seem to spin on the Rory-Jordan axis.
McIlroy, with four runner-up finishes in his past five outings at the National Course, should view it as a chance to lay down a marker, to overcome Spieth at a track he knows all too well, and that Spieth does not. It is worth noting, though, that Spieth rocked up to Chambers Bay for the first time this year and did not exactly struggle.
If the event tagline is “Expected the Unexpected”, then Spieth versus McIlroy may run counter to that. Yes, Abu Dhabi, that’ll do nicely, indeed.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wes%20Ball%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Owen%20Teague%2C%20Freya%20Allen%2C%20Kevin%20Durand%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
