A persistent wanderlust is taking Matt Kuchar this month to Abu Dhabi.
The American golfer has long travelled the globe in more than 17 years as a professional golfer, contesting events in Europe, South America, the Far East and Australia.
The passion for seeing as much of the world as possible was evident once more during his recent winter break, where Kuchar spent two weeks around Christmas with his family in Patagonia, quite a way south of his home in Georgia.
Rested and recuperated, he has chosen to open his golfing year for the first time in the Middle East, making his debut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, presented by EGA, in little more than a week.
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Competing in the UAE ticks off another country on his professional bucket list. Even with almost two decades in the game, and with nine professional victories under his belt, the world No 15 arrives in the capital as a National course novice.
However, he’s not going into the tournament completely blind.
“I’ve seen it for years on TV,” Kuchar says by phone. “I’m typically out on the West Coast playing Bob Hope or one of the tournaments depending on the time of year when it falls. I’m always intrigued watching the telecast from Abu Dhabi and the guys that go play it, talking to them. It always looks like an amazing place.
“I still enjoy going to new places, particularly with the family. My wife travels a lot, my kids travel a lot. We’ve been to a lot of places but not to the Middle East. So my excitement level’s high, intrigued by seeing all the other guys that have gone over, made the trip and come back saying great things about the tournament and the experience.
“They say the course is great, the food’s amazing, the people are great. It’s kind of a long list of pluses that made the decision. So I said I had to make it happen this year.”
Kuchar, 39, comes into Abu Dhabi on the back of a pretty happening 2017. Although he failed to add another win through the calendar year, he registered his best season in the majors, posting two top fives, a top ten and a tied-16th, the lowest finish coming at the US Open in June.
For most, though, Kuchar’s year will be remembered for an incredibly memorable British Open the following month, when, attempting to land a first major championship, he went toe-to-toe with Jordan Spieth on Sunday at Royal Birkdale.
Kuchar entered the final round three off the lead, but by the turn had drawn level with his compatriot. Walking off the 13th green, after Spieth found himself betwixt Titleist equipment vans in scenes that will go down in major lore, Kuchar had moved one ahead.
Then Spieth did what only Spieth seems able to do. He played the final five holes in five-under par. Eventually losing by three, the cameras showed Kuchar immediately afterwards, sat alongside the young Texan in the scorers hut, anguish etched all over his face. It was painful viewing. Imagine what it was like for Kuchar.
“Certainly was heart-breaking and a difficult one to swallow,” he says. “But when I sit back and really analyse it, you can only control what you do. I feel like I played great golf, feel like I played the right golf in the right situations. But when somebody beats you, you have to tip your hat and say well done.
“Jordan Spieth’s a heck of a golfer, played an amazing final five holes, so you do tip your hat, say well done. The thing about the game of golf is you have more opportunities. You got to keep your head up and keep putting yourself in that situation and hopefully get a chance again to have the title.”
Kuchar hopes 2018 will throw up a few more opportunities. Aside from hiking and trekking in Patagonia, he sat down as he always does with instructor Chris O’Connell, discussing ways to improve the mechanics and the fundamentals of his golf swing. Basically, figure out ways to become a better player.
Beginning to test that in Abu Dhabi, and potentially kick-start a new year with victory in a new place, means he’s looking forward to making his bow.
“It will be exciting for me, being somewhere new, going to a completely new place,” he says. “It’s always a bit of a learning curve, not knowing the course, not knowing exactly where you can miss it, where to play it from.
“I’ll do my best in the practice rounds to scout the course as best I can. It certainly helps when you get off to a good start. But as golfers we understand it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You keep trudging along to try and play well, week-in, week-out.”
With more bids for majors to come, not to mention the Ryder Cup in France in September, Kuchar is set for another jam-packed 12 months.
“It’s just always busy, always busy,” he says, laughing. “You never say I have to play well this week or that week. I certainly have prided myself on being consistent on playing some good golf on a weekly basis.
“But I understand the game of golf is a fickle game. You’re out here for a long time. If you don’t play well you better be resilient to be able to bounce back.”
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: RB Money To Burn, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m, Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m, Winner: Secret Protector, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.50pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m, Winner: Motafaawit, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
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Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
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RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
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Coming 2 America
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones
3/5 stars
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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BABYLON
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
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