Journeymen golfers on the European Tour will today get an impression of what it will feel like to be on the brink of qualifying for next year's US$10million (Dh36.7m) Dubai World Championship when they step on to the tee for their opening round of the Castello Masters on the outskirts of Valencia.
The routine Spanish tournament is the final qualifying event for next week's season-ending Volvo Masters which for the last time this year will be the finale to the tour's order of merit before the Race to Dubai embarks on its 12-month odyssey from China in two weeks time.
In all probability the 2008 order of merit will be won by the in-form Swede Robert Karlsson or Padraig Harrington, the Irishman who has won two out of the four major championships this season. They will both have to slip up badly to open the door for England's Lee Westwood, Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and the Dubai-based Swede Henrik Stenson to snatch the honour.
The consistent Karlsson, whose earnings of ?2,695,248 (Dh12.8m) give him a slight lead in the money list over Harrington, will not be in attendance at the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo. However, neither will the Irishman, whose triumphs in the British Open and US PGA Championships gave a considerable boost to his total of ?2,397,823.
They along with the third-placed Westwood and fourth-placed Jimenez are taking a week off in advance of the Masters at Valderrama when a successor to the 2007 winner Justin Rose will be determined.
Although Rose is competing this week along with his Ryder Cup teammates Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, the European vice-captain Jose Maria Olazabal and the exciting Colombian Camilo Villegas, the focus will be as much on the lesser lights of the Tour.
A finishing position of 115 in the order of merit has enormous significance for whoever occupies it on Sunday evening because that is the cut-off point for the retention of playing privileges on the Tour for next season.
Those aiming higher for a finish in the top 60 will be rewarded with a position in next week's Valderrama field when 30 automatic exemptions for next year's Open Championship at Turnberry and 15 places in the US Open at Bethpage, New York will be up for grabs.
A year from now the stakes will be even higher with the top 60 going through to the inaugural Race to Dubai finale - the Dubai World Championship - to be staged on the Greg Norman- designed Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates from Nov 6-9.
There, the winner will enjoy a record pay day of $2million out of a bonus pool of $10million to be shared out between the top 15 players.
That enormous purse for the world's most valuable tournament means it is almost certain that the battle for the Harry Vardon Trophy, which is awarded annually to the man at the head of the order of merit will - like this year - go all the way to the last day of the season on the Leisurecorp-owned Dubai facility.
Garcia - who is co-designing one of the four courses at Jumeirah - will be the leading attraction this week on his native Spanish soil.
He looks the favourite to take the first prize of ?333,330 having learned about every inch of the Castello course which he played as a boy with his father Victor - who was the club's resident professional.
Garcia's Ryder Cup mentor Olazabal holds the course record, however, having posted an 11 under par 61 in Dec 2005.
The dual US Masters champion returned to competitive action earlier this month following recurring back problems and will be determined to give a good account in front of his home crowd.
Their lesser-known compatriot Alvaro Quiros can also expect a rousing reception after his victory in Portugal last weekend.
wjohnson@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
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FIXTURES
New Zealand v France, second Test
Saturday, 12.35pm (UAE)
Auckland, New Zealand
South Africa v Wales
Sunday, 12.40am (UAE), San Juan, Argentina
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5