Back in 2009, Lee Westwood knew what he needed to do to become the maiden winner of the newly minted Race to Dubai, as he arrived in the UAE for the season’s finale.
Win the new season-ending event in Dubai, and he would beat the young European Tour sensation Rory McIlroy to the Order of Merit title.
He did so, in thrilling style, meaning McIlroy would not break Seve Ballesteros’ record as the youngest ever player to become European No 1.
The margin of victory seemed wafer thin back then. It was around €600,000 on the money list.
Eleven years on, Westwood became the oldest winner of the Harry Vardon Trophy, taking the truncated 2020 Race following a runner-up finish behind Matthew Fitzpatrick in the DP World Tour Championship.
The difference between the top two this time? Just 18 points, which is scarcely enough for a shawarma and chips, let alone anything more lavish.
Never before has the culmination to the Tour season been so tight. But then, never before have we experienced a season like this.
“I figured I needed to finish 15-under to win the tournament,” Westwood said.
“[I had] not really had any thoughts of the Race to Dubai until I got into the scoring tent afterwards, and looked at it all and realised I've still got a chance.”
For most of the final day it seemed as though Patrick Reed was doing just enough to become the first American to finish as Europe’s No 1 golfer.
Fitzpatrick held the tournament lead for the whole of the final round, after a blistering start. But he needed each of Reed, Westwood, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood to finish third or lower if it was to mean a championship and Order of Merit double.
Fleetwood was the first to fall from the reckoning, ending on a 7-under total that placed him in 10th. Morikawa joined him in a tie for that not long after.
Then Reed’s composure dissipated just at the vital moment. He made three bogeys in his closing seven holes. Admittedly, he made three birdies in the same period, but that was only good enough for a tie for third place – thus lancing his chances to win the race.
Fitzpatrick could see Reed, playing the match ahead of him, make bogey while he was stood on the tee at the 17th.
At that point, he was the projected winner of the Race, by dint of the fact his playing partner, Laurie Canter, was in a tie for Westwood at that point.
Canter’s finish fell apart at the same hole, though, as he twice fluffed his chip from beside the green, and walked off the hole with a double bogey.
Second place on his own was enough to ensure Westwood finished the season at the top of the standings for the third time in two decades.
“It is hard to quantify it,” Westwood said. “It is 20 years since I sat there in Valderrama having finished second in the [WGC-American Express Championship], to win the Volvo Order of Merit as it was then.
“I won here in 2009 to win the Race to Dubai, and finished second today to win the Race to Dubai.
“It is not getting any easier. I’m not getting any younger, and I just enjoy playing in these tournaments.”
It is fair to say it has been a turbulent season, given the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
But at least Westwood was able to provide some neat bookends, lifting the Harry Vardon Trophy at its end, having won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at its start.
“The motivation's never changed, really,” Westwood, 47, said. “I get to get up each day and do the job I love. I've always wanted to be a golfer, and I don't want it to end.
“So I'm prepared to keep working hard and put myself in the line of fire and try and get into contention in tournaments.
“It's where I'm most comfortable and what I love doing. I love the work away from the course and the gym and on the range, the hard work that people don't see, I love that.”
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
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Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Avenue, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: My Catch, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
