The Dubai Desert Classic will be awash with nostalgia this week as the region's first professional golf tournament celebrates the 20th anniversary of its membership of the European Tour.
When those who have seen the bulk of the previous 19 episodes of one of the most popular events on the calendar are asked to pick their favourite, the year 2001 will be at the top of many lists.
"It certainly was the greatest Classic for me," says Thomas Bjorn, the former Ryder Cup player from Denmark.
Bjorn has good reason to make that assertion. He won it in one of the most thrilling fashions imaginable, defeating Tiger Woods in a head-to-head battle over the four days.
He was drawn with the world No 1 for the first two rounds and responded to the daunting situation admirably to ensure that he and Woods went out together in the final pairing on the last two days as well.
"We both played unbelievable golf," says Bjorn.
"They were four special days and we made it into what was effectively a two-horse race.
"All I remember was trying to hang on to his shirt tails and see if I could get to him down the stretch and that's how it worked out.
"The memory of beating him will stick with me for the rest of my life. There is a nice freedom in playing in a shoot-out against somebody with Tiger's reputation. You are not really expected to win. And if you don't win you tell yourself that's what happens nine times out of 10."
Bjorn, 37, who is now chairman of the influential European Tour players' committee who will tomorrow nominate the next Ryder Cup captain, regrets not being able to reminisce first hand with Woods on that enthralling showdown this year.
Woods has had knee surgery which has kept him out of the opening months of the season
"We have been used to having him in Dubai and he will be badly missed," says Bjorn.
"It's a shame to see him out with such a long-term injury and the game of golf suffers through him being out.
"But it is still a wonderful tournament. It's a great field even without him. But I wish he was there to make it even better."
As the players' chairman Bjorn has also played a leading role in securing sponsorship from Leisurecorp for the Race to Dubai, which will culminate in the $10million (Dh36m) Dubai World Championship in November.
"It was always a question of when Dubai was going to have another tournament," he says.
"It certainly has stamped it's mark on the world golf scene and on the world as a whole.
"But I don't think the Classic will ever suffer from the Dubai World Championship coming along. It is a regular tour event which has become a special place to visit."
As for the Race to Dubai itself, the new name for the Order of Merit, Bjorn is relieved the sponsorship deal with Leisurecorp was agreed before the global financial crisis started to bite in the region.
"We got in at the right time making something special happen," he adds.
"It would not happen in this environment that we are in today. We have created something that puts a lot of attention on the European Tour and Dubai."
wjohnson@thenational.ae
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The%20specs
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Disclaimer
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Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
%3Cp%3EThe%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20-%20Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Arabic%20Language%20Centre%20will%20mark%20International%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Day%20at%20the%20Bologna%20Children's%20Book%20Fair%20with%20the%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Translation%20Conference.%20Prolific%20Emirati%20author%20Noora%20Al%20Shammari%2C%20who%20has%20written%20eight%20books%20that%20%20feature%20in%20the%20Ministry%20of%20Education's%20curriculum%2C%20will%20appear%20in%20a%20session%20on%20Wednesday%20to%20discuss%20the%20challenges%20women%20face%20in%20getting%20their%20works%20translated.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16. first leg
Atletico Madrid v Juventus, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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