Englishman Daniel Gavins twice found the water in a dramatic final hole before he conjured a brilliant 26-foot putt to win the Ras Al Khaimah Championship by a single shot on Sunday.
The 31-year-old held a two-shot lead going into the par-five 18th at Al Hamra Golf Club. But he put his drive in the water and then found the drink again with a three wood before sinking the long putt to card double-bogey seven that was enough to seal the victory.
He finished the tournament on 17 under par, one shot ahead of Alexander Bjork and Zander Lombard, who was unable to sink an eagle putt from 24 feet on the 18th to force a play-off.
The win was a second on the DP World Tour for Gavins.
“I’m pretty speechless to be honest,” said Gavins, who didn't have a practice round this week because of a back injury.
“I’ve been struggling off the tee the last two weeks and it’s not a very nice tee shot to have [on 18], even with a two-shot lead.
“It was a difficult hole to get through and to be fair I thought I was holing that putt for a play-off. I didn’t realise Bjork had made bogey.
“I’d put two in the water and I thought that’s one way to end the tournament. I sunk the putt and went to the back of the green and saw that I was actually winning still. It was kind of a big shock.”
Gavins began the day two shots off the lead held by Lombard and bogeyed the first hole, but responded brilliantly to birdie the next five in succession before another birdie on the eighth gave him a two-stroke lead.
Bogeys on the ninth and 12th dropped Gavins back into a tie for the lead with Bjork, but the 31-year-old birdied the 14th and 15th to move two clear again before the drama unfolded on 18.
Having driven into the water, Gavins hit an ideal drive with his second ball but was unaware that, in the group ahead, Bjork had three-putted from long range for a closing bogey.
Gavins therefore chose not to lay up with his fourth shot and hit a fairway wood into the water before taking a penalty drop, pitching on to the green and holing from 26 feet to seal a remarkable win.
Lombard had fallen four shots off the lead following an erratic first 10 holes containing an eagle, one birdie and five bogeys, but he birdied the 11th and 12th and narrowly failed to eagle the last to force extra holes.
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Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
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The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
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Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
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Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
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Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
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It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
