ABU DHABI //Greg Nicholson's professional career was little more than a day old when he registered a hole-in-one at the Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen Open yesterday.
The 25 year old from Scotland could not keep the smile off his face after his ace at the 168-yard par-three sixth hole on day two of the inaugural Mena Tour.
Nicholson knew he had hit the ball sweetly with his nine iron as he watched it sail through the air, but dared not believe Graeme Stewart, his playing partner, who could tell what had just happened.
"As soon as I hit, I thought it had a chance," Nicholson said. "It was right at the flag and pitched just a couple of inches from the hole, but I couldn't see what happened next because some of the green was hidden.
"Graeme said to me 'that's in' because he heard a noise which made him think it had rolled in the cup. I didn't believe it until we walked up and there it was. I couldn't have hit the shot any better. It was the best of my round by quite some way.
"And that's my first ever hole-in-one. I always wanted it to mean something and to do it in my first ever professional golf event is really special."
Nicholson arrived in the UAE last week still an amateur and he has given himself three years to make a living on the professional circuit. He only took up golf on a serious basis when he was 18.
"I turned pro yesterday [Monday] and I really want to give this a go for three years. I have a degree in golf scholarship from Long Island University in the States, so I have that to fall back on.
"My brother, Geoff, lives in Abu Dhabi so the Mena Tour is perfect for me as I can live with him and it cuts down the costs."
Nicholson fought back with a round of 70 yesterday, which followed on from a 77 on Monday.
"I must have missed six putts from 10 feet," said Nicholson after his second round. "From 168 yards, I didn't have a problem."
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
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How to help
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2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)
Banton 53 no
Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)
Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7
Qalandars win by six wickets
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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