So sick was Charley Hull on Wednesday, that she left La Reserva Club de Sotogrande midway through the Pro-Am to head back to her hotel room to recuperate.
What turned out to be a nasty bug seemed troublesome alright: Hull lost three kilograms before returning on Thursday morning for the first round of the inaugural Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande.
Then she went out, in the stifling heat in southern Spain, and shot a blemish-free 65 to share the lead in both the team and individual events that run simultaneously in this new Golf Saudi-owned entry on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
“I’ll probably get my manager to get me sick more often, shoot low scores,” Hull quipped after signing for 7-under, which moved her alongside American Alison Lee at the summit.
That’s where Team Hull are on their leaderboard, too, after Isabelle Boineau, Katja Pogacar and amateur Andreas Feller helped lift the group to 14-under. After the early wave had finished at Sotogrande, they shared top spot together with teams captained by Swedish pair Caroline Hedwall and Linnea Strom.
“Yesterday I had a sickness bug all day,” said Hull, a two-time winner on the LET and its 2013 Rookie of the Year. “I literally lost 3kg overnight, which is pretty crazy. I was pretty dehydrated. I didn’t get to see the back nine of the golf course, but I shot four-under on it blind, so I felt like I played pretty well.”
All things considered, “pretty well” was an understatement. Thursday’s first round provided further evidence that Hull clearly enjoys the novel format. In its first iteration, the Aramco Team Series comprises four events, all 54-hole and boasting a $1 million prize fund. The series teed off last month in London, before it will take in New York and Jeddah later this year.
Hull finished third in the individual standings in London. Wearing two hats, figuratively, this week, as captain the Englishwoman selected teammate Boineau of France and was then randomly assigned Slovakia’s Pogacar. Patently, and with all four colleagues - Feller, the amateur, included - contributing to their overall score, they gelled pretty well.
“It was really good,” Hull said. “It was great fun out there today - such a chilled, relaxed group. It was lovely. I just had so much fun. It was great to play with these two girls.
“I just like [the format]. It’s a really relaxed event. You go out there, have a lot of fun. Like today, I was learning some French on the golf course, thanks to Isabelle. It was just a good laugh.”
Pushed by the LET inhouse interviewer as to what vocabulary she’d picked up, Hull responded: “I’ll just say ‘Oui’ for now. I don’t want to embarrass myself on TV.”
Boineau, whose victory at the 2016 Ladies Scottish Open remains her sole win on the circuit, was obviously delighted simply to be in front of the camera.
“It’s nice to get interviewed, thanks to you guys,” she said, nodding towards the two teammates next to her. “It’s pretty rare these days on the LET for me. But I’m happy that Charley chose us to play with her. It’s great, and she played very well today.”
On the format, Pogacar added: “It’s different for sure, but I enjoy it really much because we’re a team and we’re working together and it’s always fun.”
Elsewhere, United States star Paula Creamer continued her road back from injury by captaining her team to 13-par, meaning they sit solo second. In the individual event, Creamer shot a 2-under 70. Meanwhile, Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson represents the closest challenger to Hull and Lee, at 5-under.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Major Cinnamon, Fernando Jara, Mujeeb Rahman
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Al Mureib, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Remorse, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Meshakel, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Desert Peace, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Sharamm, Ryan Curatlo, Satish Seemar
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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
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Pieces of Her
Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick
Director: Minkie Spiro
Rating:2/5
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.