Rayhan Thomas carried his impressive form into the Golf Citizen Classic to claim joint leadership after the opening round at the Els Club Dubai on Monday.
Thomas, 16, won his first Mena Tour event at the Dubai Creek Open at the start of September before finishing tied-ninth at last week's Sheikh Maktoum Open.
The teenager was again in fine form at the Els Club, carding a blemish free five-under par 67 to lead alongside England’s Craig Hinton and Pakistani Shahid Javed.
Thomas and Javed both produced bogey-free rounds, while Hinton bounced back from a bogey on the second to shoot three successive birdies on his way to the top of a tight leaderboard.
The trio hold a one shot lead over five players; Moroccan Ahmed Marjan, Spain’s Carlos Balmaseda, Luke Joy of England, Swede Per Berth, and Scotland’s Daniel Hendry all shooting four-under par 68s.
Meanwhile, defending champion Clarke Lutton is one of three players — along with Brunei’s Wira Salleh and Swiss Alex Messiqua — one shot further back at three-under par.
“I played very solid golf throughout again. I hope I can keep the momentum going. So far so good,” said Thomas, who has finished second, third, first and ninth in his last four events on the Mena Tour.
Hinton, who currently sits 10th in the Mena Tour Order of Merit, is looking for his second title of the season following his triumph at the Johannesburg City Masters in June.
“The course is playing long, but it offers plenty of scoring opportunities as greens are rolling nicely,” Hinton, 28, said. “I’m very happy with the way I played.”
Javed, competing in his first Mena Tour event of the season, said: “The key to going low on this course, which is playing long and tough, depends on how well you drive and how well you read the greens. It feels nice to walk off the course with a good score under your belt.”
Elsewhere, Order of Merit leader Andrew Marshall finished the opening round on one-under par, while Zane Scotland — the Mena Tour’s most successful player with 11 wins — scored level par.
For the complete leaderboard, visit menagolftour.com
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THE%20SPECS
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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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.
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
