Double major-winner Rory McIlroy won the Australian Open on Sunday with a birdie at the final hole, sensationally pipping the home favourite Adam Scott, to secure his first tournament victory of 2013.
Scott was leading by a stroke with one hole to play and looked certain to become only the second player ever to capture the Australian “Triple Crown”.
However, the world number two dramatically bogeyed the last and McIlroy holed a 16-foot birdie putt for a final day 66 to win with a total of 18-under par at the Royal Sydney course, becoming only the second European to win the event.
Scott said he misjudged the wind and took too much club on the last, blowing his bid to add a home Open title to his victories at the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Masters with a 71 in the final round.
“I am gutted, I felt like I never had a better chance to win the Australian Open,” Scott said afterwards.
“It was going to be a tough day, Rory made his move and I just couldn’t get my putts in.”
The US Masters champion’s error on 18 in front of a stunned crowd opened the door for McIlroy, who said the Australian “gave me a couple of lifelines and I was able to take advantage of that on the last”.
“While I am sorry to ruin Scotty’s chance at winning the Triple Crown, I have just felt since September in a better (state) mentally these few weeks, with some things off the course,” McIlroy said.
“Overall I just felt everything was coming together the way I wanted it to. It’s been a frustrating year but I’ve worked hard and it’s been a process trying to get back to winning golf tournaments again, and it was nice to do that this week.”
Scott started Sunday’s final round with a comfortable four-shot lead over second-placed McIlroy, but an eagle on seven closed the gap and the Northern Irishman drew level with a birdie on the eighth.
Going into the last, Scott was one ahead again but his second shot ran through the green. His third then went 20 feet past the flag before two putts meant a bogey five.
“I am disappointed to make that error up the last and open the door for Rory,” said Scott.
“I was trying to keep the door closed all day but nothing was going my way on the greens today. I could have put this thing away early on if the putter was behaving how it should have.”
After taking 23 putts in setting a new Royal Sydney course record of 62 on day one, Scott needed 35 putts over the last round.
The win was McIlroy’s 11th worldwide and only his second outside of the European and PGA Tours. It earns him a first-prize cheque for Aus$225,000 (Dh 752,965).
Scott will now take a well-earned break before his next event and the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in Hawaii.
Australia’s John Senden, the 2006 Australian Open winner, shot a last-day 66 to grab third place on 11-under par.
He secured one of three 2014 British Open Championship qualifying spots on offer this week, in the first of a revised qualifying system into golf’s oldest major.
Joining Senden at next year’s British Open Championship will be fellow Australians Bryden Macpherson (69) and Rhein Gibson (69) who shared fourth place at nine under par.
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
De De Pyaar De
Produced: Luv Films, YRF Films
Directed: Akiv Ali
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jaaved Jaffrey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
