Local resident MG Keyser shot a course-record 61 on the first day of the Mena Tour’s Dubai Creek Open on Monday, with marquee name Darren Clarke seven shots worse off in a tie for 12th.
South African Keyser, who lives in Dubai, had a day to remember around Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, carding nine birdies and eagle and even a bogey, blitzing the back nine in 8-under par. He leads by three from England’s Stuart Archibald and Sweden’s Fredrik From.
“Played a good, solid round and didn’t make any stupid mistakes out there,” Keyser said. “Just kind of everything fell together: ball striking, putting. I'm really enjoying my golf, especially for the last couple of months. The course is in great condition with greens running so true and so perfect, which makes putting a little bit easier.”
Keyser’s superb run eclipses by two a trio of names who had previously held the course record, with European Tour stalwarts Lee Westwood and Clarke among them. The 2011 British Open champion, the Mena Tour’s patron, did not fair quite as well as Keyser on his event debut, though, opening with a 3-under par 68.
Clarke traded a birdie and a bogey on his front nine to go out in level-par 35, but picked up a shot on the 12th before closing with back-to-back birdies.
Meanwhile, defending champion Rayhan Thomas did not enjoy his greatest day at his home course. The Dubai-based amateur, who last year made history by becoming the first non-professional to win on the Mena Tour, posted a frustrating 1-under 70, with four bogeys and five birdies.
“I was off to a slow start with two bogeys in the first three holes, thanks to a cold putter,” said Thomas, who was paired with Clarke and From.
“Though I played the back nine at two-under, it wasn’t good enough. I need to shoot at least six or seven under to haul myself back into contention.
“It was fun playing with Darren. He is such a great guy. He really hit the ball well, but just couldn’t hole anything.”
Elsewhere, England’s Zane Scotland, a two-time winner of the event, had to settle for a 73, while the UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh carded a 3-under 68.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The specs
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LIVERPOOL SQUAD
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
