Don't get the idea that Luke Donald was camped out in front of his television for the final hour of the Honda Classic last weekend, waiting to see if Rory McIlroy would win and replace him as the No 1 golfer in the world.
"I was actually with my daughters at the playground," Donald said this week in Doral, Florida.
Donald held the No 1 spot for 40 weeks, the longest of anyone in the last 15 years except for Tiger Woods. Sunday was the 49th time the No 1 ranking had traded hands, and only 10 players had a longer stay at the top than Donald.
The record belongs to Woods at 281 weeks. Donald's first thought about seeing that McIlroy had won and moved into the top spot was that he now had room for improvement.
"It's hard to go very far when you're No 1," Donald said. "But no, I didn't give it too much thought. That's what happens.
"I've had a little bit of a slow start. Rory has played well and deservedly overtook me. I've never really questioned the world ranking system.
"It's an unbiased, mathematical system, and he's done enough to get to No 1."
Donald and Lee Westwood, whom Donald supplanted at No 1 last May, could return to the top this week at Doral, though that could depend on how McIlroy fares.
Westwood said he was talking to Donald on the putting green as they prepared for this week's World Golf Championship event at Doral. He greeted Donald by calling him "No 2".
"He looked at me and nodded and he said, 'Yeah, it's sort of a bit of a relief. There's only one way to go when you're No 1,'" Westwood said.
"At least there's more than one way to go at No 2. You're at the top there and everybody shoots at you. But I think that's the position you want to be in. You want the position everyone is envious of."
McIlroy became the fourth player in 16 months to be No 1, and it has changed hands five times since Woods's reign ended in November 2010. "I think it adds a little bit of interest," Donald said.
"When Tiger was No 1, no one really talked about the world rankings much, and maybe the big talking point was who was in the top 50."
MATCH INFO:
Second Test
Pakistan v Australia, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am daily at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Entrance is free
Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1
Calvin Harris
Columbia
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
More from our neighbourhood series:
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The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
RACECARD
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
