Rayhan Thomas' birdie blitz contributed to a second-round 61 at the Dubai Creek Open, his Tuesday tally quickly lit up social media. European Tour professionals and Olympians-cum-Politicians tweeted their congratulations. Courtesy Mena golf Tour
Rayhan Thomas' birdie blitz contributed to a second-round 61 at the Dubai Creek Open, his Tuesday tally quickly lit up social media. European Tour professionals and Olympians-cum-Politicians tweeted their congratulations. Courtesy Mena golf Tour
Rayhan Thomas' birdie blitz contributed to a second-round 61 at the Dubai Creek Open, his Tuesday tally quickly lit up social media. European Tour professionals and Olympians-cum-Politicians tweeted their congratulations. Courtesy Mena golf Tour
Rayhan Thomas' birdie blitz contributed to a second-round 61 at the Dubai Creek Open, his Tuesday tally quickly lit up social media. European Tour professionals and Olympians-cum-Politicians tweeted t

Rayhan Thomas shoots nine straight birdies at Dubai Creek Open to enter record books


John McAuley
  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai-based Rayhan Thomas added another notch to his CV on Tuesday when he shot nine consecutive birdies on the Mena Tour to equal the world record for an Official World Golf Rankings event.

The teenager, 17, began the birdie stretch at the second hole at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club during the second round of the Dubai Creek Open - a tournament at which he is defending champion.

Eventually, Thomas carded a 10-under par 61 to equal the course record on his home track – the mark was set the previous day by Dubai resident MG Keyser – to move to the top of the leaderboard. Keyser, who went out later on Tuesday, shot a 68 to reclaim the summit ahead of Wednesday's final round.

Rayhan Thomas' scorecard from the second round of the 2017 Dubai Creek Open.
Rayhan Thomas' scorecard from the second round of the 2017 Dubai Creek Open.

Thomas’ nine birdies on the bounce equals the world record set by American Mark Calcavecchia at the 2009 RBC Canadian Open. Earlier this year, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger fired nine consecutive birdies in the second round of the 2017 Maybank Championship in Malaysia. However, it is not officially recognised since preferred lies were in play because of wet conditions at Saujana Golf and Country in Kuala Lumpur.

Speaking of his record-equalling day, Thomas said: “Yeah, it was fun. It was a good run of birdies. I just stayed pretty much in the moment and let it happen. It just felt natural.

“I knew I could go low, especially round my home track where I know the greens so well. So I just let everything flow. I didn’t know about the record, but that’s nice. That’s pretty cool.”

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Results

Stage three:

1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43

2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s

3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s

4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s

5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s

6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s

General Classification:

1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02

2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s

3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s

4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

What went into the film

25 visual effects (VFX) studios

2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots

1,000 VFX artists

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New sound technology, named 4D SRL

 

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Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma

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Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud

Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Sole survivors
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