Lee Corfield fired a bogey-free six-under 66 on Tuesday to break free from the chasing pack going into the final round of the Mena Golf Tour’s Golf Citizen Classic at the Els Club Dubai on Wednesday.
Starting the second day four shots off the pace, the Englishman strung together the tournament’s lowest score so far to reach seven under, two shots ahead of fellow Englishman Luke Joy and Sweden’s Ber Barth.
See also:
• Round 1: Rayhan Thomas shares lead after opening round of Golf Citizen Classic at Els Club Dubai
• Watch: DP World support new scheme aimed at introducing golf to thousands of UAE schoolchildren
Overnight joint leader Rayhan Thomas, the Dubai-based Indian teenager, slipped to tied fourth on four under after carding a total of 73. A triple bogey on the 10th hole spoiled Thomas’s otherwise solid round.
Spain’s Carlos Balmaseda, Oscar Hertzberg of Sweden and England’s Max Williams completed the group on four under as seven players, including Shahid Javed of Pakistan and Craig Hinton, who shared the overnight lead, moved into a tie for eighth a further shot adrift on three under.
“I played some good, solid golf. I made six birdies and five bogeys in the first round, but today I kept bogeys off my card which was the key to going low,” said Corfield, who is a four-time winner on the Mena Golf Tour. “You never know what tomorrow holds, but I feel like I am playing nicely. I will see how things pan out.”
In-form Thomas, who won the Dubai Creek Open earlier this month to become the first amateur to win on the tour, started strong, making three birdies in his first four holes, but hit a roadblock on the 10th hole when a wayward drive resulted in three dropped shots.
“I was cruising along nicely having got off to another great start, but one bad hole changed the whole look of the card,” Thomas said.
“Take that away and I think I played really well. I am just shots off the pace and very much in with chance.”
Morocco’s Faycal Serghini shot a 71 to return to the top of the leaderboard in the Mena Division on one under, two shots ahead of compatriot Ahmed Marjan who stumbled to a 77 after opening with a 68.
“I think I played really well. Things could have been even better, but made a bogey-bogey finish, which was a bit disappointing,” said Serghini, who is coming off a tendon injury in his left hand that kept him out of competitive golf for two months.
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
