Even in a sport with professional results dating back to the 1800s, the overnight news almost universally astounded and amazed.
Key word: almost.
After a four-day display of tactical, practical precision, German star Martin Kaymer ran away with the US Open title at Pinehurst No 2 on Sunday to become the first player from continental Europe to win the American title.
At what usually is considered the toughest test among the major championships, Kaymer led from wire to wire. After a record-breaking start in the first two rounds, he never let anybody closer than four strokes.
It resulted in a Sunday parade lap that produced the second-lowest 72-hole score in US Open history.
“I think we were all playing for second,” runner-up Erik Compton said.
The dominance of Kaymer’s eight-shot victory generated acclaim and amazement – although in the UAE, it was met with knowing nods.
After all, the UAE capital has witnessed Kaymer’s tournament tourniquet act like no other region during his three HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship victories, including a record eight-shot win in 2011, one month before he became world No 1.
Hereabouts, there should be plenty of awe, though not much shock. The only real surprise is that it took Kaymer this long to win his second major because, when the 29-year-old Dusseldorf native gets on a hot streak, we have seen the damage, first-hand.
After a two-year victory drought borne of multiple swing changes, Kaymer won the Players Championship last month in Florida, the fifth-biggest tournament in the sport, holding at least a share of the lead after all four rounds.
He did it again at Pinehurst, opening with a pair of five-under 65s to set a US Open scoring record for 36 holes, eventually becoming the fifth player to win two majors and reach world No 1 before age 30.
It punctuated an abrupt turnaround after too many months of largely forgettable results. He had skidded to 63rd in the world six weeks ago.
Now he is back to world No 11, and climbing, and has secured a place in the DP World Championship in Dubai in November.
Not surprisingly, questions about his swing makeover and two-plus unproductive seasons were broached again after his comprehensive victory.
“I’ve answered that question so many times,” Kaymer said. “Honestly, I get tired of it, I’m sorry. But I just want to become a complete player. That’s it.
“It’s annoying. You don’t want to talk about that all the time. You want to focus on the main thing, and I don’t always have patience to answer every time the same thing.”
He did, anyway.
“I don’t want to be rude to people, so that’s why I kept answering,” he said.
He responded with exclamation marks over the past six weeks.
“It shouldn’t sound cocky or arrogant, but I knew it would come,” said Kaymer, only the 18th player to win the PGA and US Open titles. “I knew I would play good golf again.”
His 271 total over four days was three shots off the US Open record set by Rory McIlroy three years ago on a wet, less-demanding Congressional Country Club course.
“With all respect to Rory, this was a more complete performance than Rory’s,” World Golf Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie said during the Golf Channel broadcast.
Kaymer drew raves for his seemingly impermeable persona, not that he faced much adversity compared to others.
As well as he played, his biggest obstacle was handling the mental duress that accompanied being the marked man at the most punitive event in the game.
He became the seventh player to win the American national title in wire-to-wire fashion and his eight-shot margin was the biggest in the US this season.
“He’s got the perfect mind for golf,” Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said. “Watching him day after day, play on the leads, watching him work his way through these problems, adversity in the game of golf. He’s almost unflappable.”
It all began with his first European Tour win, in Abu Dhabi, in 2008. Two weeks later at the Dubai Desert Classic, he finished birdie-birdie-eagle, though Tiger Woods held on to win by a stroke.
Even with that kind of UAE pedigree, it was mildly surprising to many when Kaymer was signed to an endorsement deal by Etihad Airways in January. He had not won an official event on the European or PGA tours since November 2011 and was no longer in the world top 40.
The airline hit the lottery, or its marketing staff were prescient.
Or perhaps, given his play here over the years, an old saying applied to a not-so-old player. They had not forgotten that form is fickle, while class is permanent.
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
The specs
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Power: 252 brake horsepower
Torque: 352Nm
Price: from Dh146,700
On sale: now
In the Land of Saints and Sinners
Director: Robert Lorenz
Starring: Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon, Jack Gleeson, Ciaran Hinds
Rating: 2/5
Company Profile
Company: Astra Tech
Started: March 2022
Based: Dubai
Founder: Abdallah Abu Sheikh
Industry: technology investment and development
Funding size: $500m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
Toss: Rajputs, elected to field first
Sindhis 94-6 (10 ov)
Watson 42; Munaf 3-20
Rajputs 96-0 (4 ov)
Shahzad 74 not out
25-MAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi
Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina, Abdullahi Shehu, Chidozie Awaziem, William Ekong, Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Jamilu Collins, Semi Ajayi
Midfielders: John Obi Mikel, Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo, John Ogu
Forwards: Ahmed Musa, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Henry Onyekuru, Odion Ighalo, Alexander Iwobi, Samuel Kalu, Paul Onuachu, Kelechi Iheanacho, Samuel Chukwueze
On Standby: Theophilus Afelokhai, Bryan Idowu, Ikouwem Utin, Mikel Agu, Junior Ajayi, Valentine Ozornwafor
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Alaan
Started: 2021
Based: Dubai
Founders: Parthi Duraisamy and Karun Kurien
Sector: FinTech
Investment stage: $7 million raised in total — $2.5 million in a seed round and $4.5 million in a pre-series A round
TOP 10 MOST POLLUTED CITIES
1. Bhiwadi, India
2. Ghaziabad, India
3. Hotan, China
4. Delhi, India
5. Jaunpur, India
6. Faisalabad, Pakistan
7. Noida, India
8. Bahawalpur, Pakistan
9. Peshawar, Pakistan
10. Bagpat, India
Source: IQAir
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The Specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol
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The specs
Engine: Twin electric motors and 105kWh battery pack
Power: 619hp
Torque: 1,015Nm
Transmission: Single-speed auto
Touring range: Up to 561km
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
MEDIEVIL (1998)
Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation, PlayStation 4 and 5
Rating: 3.5/5
FROM THE ASHES
Director: Khalid Fahad
Starring: Shaima Al Tayeb, Wafa Muhamad, Hamss Bandar
Rating: 3/5
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS & THE ECONOMY
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
The five pillars of Islam
Bridgerton season three - part one
Directors: Various
Starring: Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 3/5
RESULTS
9pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Mubhir Al Ain, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
9.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Exciting Days, Oscar Chavez, Doug Watson
10pm: Al Ain Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Suny Du Loup, Marcelino Rodrigues, Hamad Al Marar
10.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Jafar Des Arnets, Oscar Chavez, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
11pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Taj Al Izz, Richard Mullen, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
11.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Majdy, Antonio Fresu, Jean de Roualle
12am: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Hamloola, Sam Hitchcott, Salem Al Ketbi
TECH SPECS: APPLE WATCH SE (second generation)
Display: 40mm, 324 x 394; 44mm, 368 x 448; Retina LTPO OLED, up to 1000 nits; Ion-X glass
Processor: Apple S8, W3 wireless
Capacity: 32GB
Memory: 1GB
Platform: watchOS 9
Health metrics: 2nd-gen heart rate sensor, workouts, fall/crash detection; emergency SOS, international emergency calling
Connectivity: GPS/GPS + cellular; Wi-Fi, LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC (Apple Pay)
Durability: Water resistant up to 50m
Battery: 269mAh Li-ion, up to 18h, wireless charging
Cards: eSIM
Finishes: Aluminium; midnight, silver, starlight
In the box: Watch SE, magnetic-to-USB-C charging cable, band/loop
Price: Starts at Dh999 (40mm) / 1,119 (44mm)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
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