DUBAI // Not that his tournament total suggested it, but Tiger Woods was surprisingly upbeat when walking away from Emirates Golf Club on Sunday.
Three straight birdies to conclude a week’s work would do that to a guy, yet it kind of threw a blanket over what had preceded it.
In fact, Woods had sprung out of the blocks way back Thursday, when he plundered his front nine for four birdies.
He then played his next 60 holes in a largely forgettable one-over par and, coupled with the fast finish, eventually tallied at six-under overall.
Just omit from memory that turgid trunk to his time at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and hope springs eternal. Or to use a more befitting cliché on the tournament’s 25th anniversary, every cloud ...
“Piped it all day,” said Woods. “Driving was something I didn’t really do well [at Torrey Pines] last week, so this weekend it was nice to build, to start piping it again and get it out there with the big boys.”
Woods used to be the big boy. The galleries that stalked the 14-time major champion throughout his final round reinforced he remains golf’s star attraction – Fred Couples even joined the throng late on – but the leaderboard offered a more pertinent appraisal of his present playing status.
Yesterday’s toil took place on the greens, where Woods shaved so many cups that he may have thought his putter crocked. It got so bad that he and his caddie, Joe LaCava, started calculating near misses instead of yardages.
“Counted up the lip-outs and had seven.” Woods said. “That’s quite a few. I just couldn’t make anything.”
Woods put the profligacy down to struggles with speed, which he measured at just a fraction off. He preferred to put the brakes on any deep post-round analysis, though.
“Nothing you can do about it,” he said. “Week’s already over and we’ll get ready for a new one.”
Woods is gearing up for an 18-hole exhibition event at Delhi Golf Club tomorrow – the first time he has set foot in India – as guest of Pawan Munjal, the chief executive and managing director of Hero Motor Group, which specialises in motorcycles and scooters. In order words, a high-octane knockabout to fuel the bank balance.
“It’ll be fun,” he said. “Then I head home and see my kids.”
As for any tweaks to his schedule thereafter, Woods indulged in a little child’s play of his own.
Asked if he plans to alter his programme in the run-up to April’s US Masters, Woods sniped back: “Yeah, I’m going to play every week from here on out until the end of the season. How’s that? We’ll see what happens.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
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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
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Race card:
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; 2,200m
7.40pm: Conditions; Dh240,000; 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 2,000m
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed; Dh265,000; 1,200m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; 1,600m
10pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 1,400m
Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
How to avoid crypto fraud
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
