AL AIN // Faycal Serghini of Morocco backed up his opening-round 65 with another 65 on Tuesday to stand atop the leaderboard at the Mena Tour Championship, the season-ending event of the Mena Tour.
Serghini is three strokes up on the English duo of Matthew Turner and the amateur James Allan, with Ian Keenan of England, Nicholas Mullhaupt of Switzerland and Michael Harradine four back at eight-under 134.
Serghini started slowly, dropping a shot on his opening hole, but he heated up fast with an eagle on the par-5 sixth thanks to a tremendous five-wood shot that left him 10 feet from the pin.
“I drove well off the tee and my putting was really solid,” said the Moroccan, 38.
“I bogeyed the first, which is an easy hole, but picked up shots on the third and fifth before making that eagle. That little stretch steadied my round.”
Serghini closed with a pair of birdies.
“I look forward to the final round,” said the Casablanca native. “Tomorrow is another day and the thinking is to go out and have fun.”
Allan, 19, enhanced his chances of winning the amateur division with his second round five-under 66 to go along with his opening-round 67, at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club.
“I managed to hole some good putts,” he said. “I think that contributed to a good round.
Turner was almost flawless in his pursuit of Serghini, striking a bogey-free 66, and Keenan recorded four birdies and an eagle against two bogeys to stay in contention with a 67.
Keenan is third in the Order of Merit behind winner Zane Scotland, who skipped this tournament, and Stephen Dodd.
Dodd is in a group at 15th after a second-round 68.
Mustapha El Maouas, who was the Order of Merit leader on the amateur side, shot a 70 for a two-day total of 142.
The top three professionals and the leading amateur will be invited to compete in the US$2.5 million (Dh9.2m) 2014 Dubai Desert Classic, beginning on January 30.
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
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