Top golfers and caddies from around the world give their expert opinions on the fairways in Abu Dhabi ahead of the tournament
No 1 - Par 4, 405 yards
David Horsey, England
A great chance of birdie. If you hit a driver between the traps and down the right side, you've got only a wedge into the hole. It's about 280 yards to the left trap, so I just need to keep it in front of that bunker. You can spin it back to a right-hand flag because there's a backstop there. On the left there's a little hump so, depending on where the flag is, you need to control where the ball bounces and spins.
The mistake you don't want to make: Short is dead. You can spin it off the front of the green and end up with a 40-yard pitch shot.
No 2 - Par 5, 600 yards
Colin Byrne, Ireland (caddy)
Plays shorter than the yardage. The wind is normally helping and the fairway has got a bit of run to it, so you can really get your drive down there. Even if you get in the rough, there's a chance of getting a flyer which can help you get there in two.
The mistake you don't want to make: I don't care what anyone else says, you have to think this is a birdie chance.
No 3 - Par 4, 439 yards
Simon Khan, England
I haven't seen how the bunker on the right has been reconfigured, but I'm told it's more in play. Everyone hits it to the left of the pin [to avoid the bunker on the right] but then you've got a tricky downhill left-to-right putt. It's not one of the toughest holes.
The mistake you don't want to make: The bunkers on the left tempt you. It dog-legs left and you think you can just hit it over those bunkers, but it's a big hit to carry over there.
No 4 - Par 3, 174 yards
Peter Hanson, Sweden
If the pin is on the front of the green it's playing a lot easier than if the pin is at the back. Normally the wind is blowing off the right and it can be pretty strong sometimes. You need to hit a seven or six iron into the wind. The difficulty of the hole can change when you move the pin around. The green is covered by bunkers on all sides and they are deeper and more difficult this year.
The mistake you don't want to make: You don't want to hit it long. If you hit it into the back bunker you have a very difficult up and down.
No 5 - Par 4, 469 yards
F. Andersson Hed, Sweden
It's long and normally played into the wind, with a green that's undulated and tough when you get there. You have to be on the right level of the green to make putts.
The mistake you don't want to make: If it's into the wind, you can't fly the bunker on the left. They've added a new bunker in the landing area on the right this year.
No 6 - Par 4, 469 yards
Foz Foster, England (caddy)
Water comes into play down the left and the tee shot sort of snakes to the right. A lot of guys were hitting a three wood off the tee in the region of 270 yards, which would leave probably an eight-iron into the green. Some guys try to take it on; being more aggressive, cutting a driver and feeding it down into the neck of the fairway to leave a wedge in.
The mistake you don't want to make: A driver brings the water into play on both sides off the tee.
No 7 - Par 3, 200 yards
Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland
An intimidating par three. It's a slightly-downhill shot and you've got some rocks at the front of the green, and the front and rear of the green are elevated. It requires a very accurate shot into a bowl shaped green.
The mistake you don't want to make: You don't want to miss the green; you certainly don't want to short-side yourself.
No 8 - Par 5, 597 yards
Alvaro Quiros, Spain
A very tight fairway at the end. It's wide, but it turns left, and most of the time you are hitting it to a very small area. It depends on the conditions, but if I catch the fairway normally I can hit it in two. The green receives the ball on an up-slope - a good thing - and I can hit a long club and stop it easily.
The mistake you don't want to make: The fairway becomes very tight at my distance.
No 9 - Par 4, 456 yards
Rhys Davies, Wales
The falcon on the clubhouse is a great starting point for this hole: depending on the wind you're looking at a point of the wing as an aiming point. It's a long par four that often plays into the wind, so you've often got a long second shot. The bunker comes into play on the right hand side of it, particularly when the pin is tucked away in the back, right corner.
The mistake you don't want to make: If you can put the ball into the middle of the green and pin high you're always going to be happy on this hole.
No 10 - Par 5, 582 yards
Martin Kaymer, Germany
I usually hit a driver over the left side of the bunkers at the front of the fairway. They've added length, but before if I was on the fairway I would have a chance to go for the green in two, probably with a five wood or three wood. If it's in the rough, I lay it up, but I'm still going for birdie with the wedge approach.
The mistake you don't want to make: In the trees on the right side of the green is the worst place you can be.
No 11 - Par 4, 417 yards
Ross Fisher, England
It's not a long hole and you can either hit a driver and take on the traps, or hit something down towards the left-hand trap, probably with a three wood. If you lay-back you're going at it with anything from a nine iron to a wedge; if you're more aggressive, a sand wedge or a lob wedge.
The mistake you don't want to make: Off the tee you've got to put it on the fairway.
No 12 - Par 3, 186 yards
Henrik Stenson, Sweden
I'm not too keen on three iron par-3s, and this is one of them. The tough thing is to get close to the back pins. Other than that, you've just got your wind direction right and hit a good shot. It would take quite a big miss for any of us to hit it in the water.
The mistake you don't want to make: You would leave yourself a tricky up and down if you go over the back.
No 13 - Par 4, 414 yards
Roger Morgan, New Zealand (caddy)
If you hit a driver, you have got to hit it over the right edge of the bunkers on the left, but they've added another bunker in the landing area this year to make that shot more complicated. It's a difficult green. You have to be on the right level if you're going to make birdies.
The mistake you don't want to make: Going right off the tee, near the footpath; if you're not in the thick grass, you can be in the sand.
No 14 - Par 4, 490 yards
Mark Mazo, US (caddy)
It's a pretty big hole and they've made it even bigger this year. You play the three wood despite the length, simply because the tee shot plays short and the bunker [at the corner of the dog-leg] comes up pretty quickly. It's a pretty accommodating green.
The mistake you don't want to make: Getting too aggressive when it's playing down wind.
No 15 - Par 3, 177 yards
Pablo Martin, Spain
A great birdie chance. You can go right at the flag, hitting between a nine and a six iron, depending on the wind and the position of the flag.
The mistake you don't want to make: Short-siding yourself. If the flag is long and you're over, then you've got a tough up and down.
No 16 - Par 4, 475 yards
Gregory Bourdy, France
For me, it's a driver because it's a long hole. We need to drive between the bunkers on the right and left. Then we still have a long shot to the green. It's not really tight - the fairway is quite large actually - but we like to cut the corner a little bit to get a shorter second shot.
The mistake you don't want to make: If you miss with your driver, it's a very tough hole. The mistake is to be in the trees, the bunker or the rough.
No 17 - Par 4, 483 yards
Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland
A long hole that usually plays into the wind. You're trying to hit it to the right of the fairway bunkers, maybe hitting it 280 yards because it's into the wind. The toughest pin position is on the front right.
The mistake you don't want to make: 16 and 17 are holes where you're just trying to make par.
No 18 - Par 5, 557 yards
Matteo Manassero, Italy
A good par five, because if you're long you have to hit the first straight and well. If you're not that long, the lay-up is not easy and the second shot gets complicated. Then the third shot can change a lot because the green is 50 metres long. It's difficult to get the distance right.
The mistake you don't want to make: For long hitters, the water and the bunker come much more into play.
Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
WORLD RECORD FEES FOR GOALKEEPERS
1) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (£72m)
2) Alisson, Roma to Liverpool (£67m)
3) Ederson, Benfica to Manchester City (£35m)
4) Gianluigi Buffon, Parma to Juventus (£33m)
5) Angelo Peruzzi, Inter Milan to Lazio (£15.7m
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pathaan
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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The specs: Volvo XC40
Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
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Honeymoonish
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
'Young girls thinking of big ideas'
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
