The season’s second major, the US PGA Championship, begins this Thursday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We look at some of the main storylines heading into the event.
Tiger Woods returns … again
Here we go once more. Woods is back, for the first time since his shock return at last month’s Masters. Back then, following a 47th-place finish in which he clearly - and understandably - ran out of gas, the 15-time major champion would not commit to Southern Hills, offering only the Open Championship as a certainty on his recalibrated calendar.
However, Woods rocked up in Tulsa last month for a recce – he was even, apparently, given course tips from the club’s director of golf – and has been on site already this week getting in the practice rounds. So what sort of Woods will we get? His remarkable comeback at the Masters came 17 months after his last competitive outing, and less than 14 months after a life-threatening car crash.
At Augusta, Woods put on a characteristically impressive display, especially given his reconstructed left leg was visibly hampering him as the week went on. His opening-round 71 was astounding. So to Southern Hills. Woods won there the last time the tournament was staged in Tulsa, in 2007 (the course has undergone a serious revamp since) and the warmer weather should play to his advantage.
Meanwhile, both he and caddie Joe LaCava have spoken this week about Woods being stronger physically, with much more stamina that he displayed at the Masters. Still, at 46 and with still hardly any recent tournament time under his belt, expectations should be tempered.
Jordan Spieth eyes Slam select band
For Rory McIlroy at the Masters, read Spieth at the US PGA Championship. The three-time major champion this week seeks to become only the sixth man to complete the career grand slam, with this tournament the only “big one” he is yet to land. Fortunately for Spieth, he is trending back towards the sort of form that in 2015 made him the game’s leading light, with a win at last month’s RBC Heritage followed by a runner-up finish on Sunday at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Although, he did miss the cut at the Masters.
Still, Spieth has climbed his way back into the world’s top 10 – he is currently 8th – having dipped as low as No 92 early last year. He is, remember, a former world No 1. And Spieth does have form at the tournament: he recorded his finest finish to date in 2015, when he was runner-up to Jason Day (if, granted, that was during Spieth’s peak season).
That the American could triumph at the RBC despite lamentable putting statistics should serve as a warning to his rivals; the fact Southern Hills provides relatively forgiving fairways, and an emphasis on getting up and down from danger, only accentuates the case for Spieth to join that exclusive club. Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Woods could soon have company.
Rory McIlroy out to recapture major might
OK, so we’ve been here before, for what could feel like for ever. McIlroy is now without a major in his past 27 attempts, which at the time felt inconceivable considering he had just won two on the bounce, back in 2014. Of course, the Northern Irishman already has four majors, a stellar haul for most. Yet it is only that his undoubted talent demands more.
Thankfully, for McIlroy, he seems to be coming into form. The former world No 1 finished runner-up at last month’s Masters – his best finish there in 14 appearances - although it was thanks purely to a final-round surge as until then, he never felt in contention. Once more, his opening day's work - a one-over 73 - proved hugely damaging. It continued a theme: McIlroy is a combined 35-over-par in the first round of majors since his most recent success at the 2014 US PGA Championship, compared to 68-under for the final three rounds over the same period.
Obviously, he needs to be much faster out of the blocks. Some solace, though, can be found in his fifth last time out at the Wells Fargo Championship. It speaks of a McIlroy in tune with his game, even if the pressure and expectation will be ratcheted up significantly come Thursday. Eight years without a major is way too long for a golfer of his calibre.
No-show Phil Mickelson casts long shadow
Rather regrettably, Mickelson will not be back to defend the title he won in memorable fashion last year. The American’s two-shot victory at Kiawah Island 12 months ago created history, making Mickelson the oldest major champion ever in the sport, at 50 years old.
However, the time since has been notable only for controversial comments and the apparent courtship of the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf series. Mickelson has not played competitively since February, when those comments were made public and prompted the six-time major winner to announce an indefinite break from the game. He was registered to play this week, only for the PGA of America to confirm his absence on Friday.
Tellingly, Mickelson has yet to speak on record since his hiatus began. Even in absentia, the defending champion has not been far from headlines in the build-up – the PGA of America had earlier expressed concerns his presence would create an unwanted side-show – and that is sure to continue when he emerges finally from the shadows.
That, unsurprisingly, is expected at next month’s inaugural LIV Golf International Series event in England. Yet it remains a sorry state of affairs: Mickelson should have been one of the storylines to celebrate at Southern Hills. Instead, his withdrawal only adds to the sense of unease at present throughout the upper echelons of the sport.
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
