DUBAI // Zane Scotland and Jack Shepherd held the joint lead after opening round at the Sheikh Maktoum Dubai Open.
The English duo both fired seven-under-par 65s – one shy of the course record – to move one stroke clear of Scotland’s David Law and Ian Keenan of England at the summit of a congested leaderboard.
Pakistan’s Hamza Amin and England’s Matthew Turner were a further shot back on five under as defending champion and tournament favourite Stephen Dodd settled for a level-par 72.
Morocco’s Amin El Malki was the leading amateur with a one-under 71, along with Switzerland’s Peter Stojanovski.
Scotland produced the shot of the day when he aced the 185-yard, par-3 third, using a six iron for his sixth career hole-in-one and the first since turning professional in 2003.
“The birdie of the first and then a hole in one on the third kind of set the tone for the round and I managed to keep the momentum rolling all the way through,” said Scotland, who currently leads the Order of Merit standings with US$27,000 (Dh99,172) from the first four events on the tour this season.
“I needed a solid round to boost my confidence since I have not been playing to my potential for the last 18th months or so,” he said. “It has happened and, hopefully, I will be able to capitalise on it as the tournament progresses.”
Amin made his presence felt with a five-under 67, despite double-bogeying the par-4 fourth when he overshot the green while trying to hit a plugged lie out of a bunker.
“Overall, I am pleased with my day’s work. I struck the ball and that was the key,” said the professional, 25, who lives in Innsbruck in Austria.
Among other scores, the UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh shot a two-over 74.
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Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The five pillars of Islam
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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."
