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[ Swinging wildly, Woods looking to knock out all in Match Play format ]
[ Is Olazabal's choice to make do with two Ryder Cup picks a mistake? ]
MARANA, ARIZONA // Tiger Woods is out of the WGC-Accenture Match Play already, beaten on the first extra hole by Thomas Bjorn, the Danish golfer in today's opening round.
With the longest barren spell of his career now stretching to 18 events, Woods joined Ian Poulter, the defending champion, in crashing out of the tournament in sudden death.
Despite some shocking shots — he hit almost into the middle of the lake on the short third — Woods led by one with six to play, but Bjorn then birdied the 13th and 15th.
The former world No 1, whose last victory was 15 months ago in Australia, levelled with a nine-foot birdie putt on the last, but could not recover from a wild drive when they went into overtime.
So Bjorn, only 134th on the rankings before he won the Qatar Masters earlier this month, claimed the scalp of the player whose only previous first-round loss was nine years ago to Australian Peter O'Malley.
"He's not playing his absolute best, but there were a lot of good swings there," said Bjorn. "He's taking strides. There's a way back for him and he'll get there."
Poulter lost to Stewart Cink, th 2009 British Open champion, and last year's runner-up Paul Casey breathed a huge sigh of relief that he did not exit as well.
Poulter, the 12th seed, was two up with six to go, while No 6 seed Casey, who has reached the last two finals in the event, survived only when Richard Green, the Australian left-hander, three-putted the 19th.
"I really should have shut the match out, to be honest with you," Poulter said.
"Every credit to him. He holed putts at the right time and that's what you have to do in this format. He putted me off the golf course. I missed my chances and therefore I have been punished."
Casey commented: "I just never got it going. I didn't birdie any par five — it really was pretty poor. I made a real botch of the 17th, but Richard kind of handed it to me on the 19th."
Casey joined fellow Englishmen Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Ross Fisher and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy in progressing, while Justin Rose was four up after 10 on Zach Johnson in the final game.
Surprised to be sent out in the very first match just before 8am — 30 minutes later than planned because of frost — Poulter's interest in the event had ended before Woods and top seed Westwood had even played a hole.
Donald was the first player into the last 32, thrashing Charley Hoffman, the US golfer, by a 6&5 margin, and he will next play his Ryder Cup teammate Edoardo Molinari.
Donald's victory threatened to be an even more convincing when he took seven of the first 10 holes.
"Charley was not on his A-game," he said. "I was probably three or four under and I'll take the win, but it was not too hard fortunately."
Molinari came from two down after six to beat Scot Martin Laird 3&2, but that was not the biggest turnaround. Ernie Els lost the first three holes to American Jeff Overton, but won on the 19th.
There is another all-European Ryder Cup clash in the second round, Celtic Manor hero McDowell against Fisher, while Westwood, who overcame Henrik Stenson, next plays American Nick Watney — the player who beat him last year.
Both won 4&3, McDowell against American Heath Slocum and Fisher against Australian Robert Allenby.
"It was reasonably straightforward," stated US Open champion McDowell, the fifth seed. "Heath didn't have his best day and for a change I played nicely and got the job done." It was only his second win in six games at the tournament.
Fisher, in contrast, was a semi-finalist two years ago and later that season won golf's other World Match Play tournament in Spain.
"It wasn't flawless, awesome golf, but in match play you don't have to play perfectly and Robert was a little bit off," he said.
McIlroy chipped in for eagle at the 393-yard fourth and went on to beat American Jonathan Byrd 4&2, all the more satisfying because the Golf Channel had tipped him to lose.
"It obviously gives you a little extra to go out and prove them wrong," said the 21-year-old. "I felt if I played my game I would be tough to beat."
McIlroy has another American, Ben Crane, in the second round.
After heading for an early finish Rose suddenly lost four holes in a row and so was back on level terms with Johnson with four to play.
But the Englishman responded with birdies at the 15th and 17th to eventually prevail 2&1 and set up a meeting with Martin Kaymer.
WGC-AccentureMatch Play Championship scores at the end of the first round
Lee Westwood (Britain) beat Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 3 & 2
Nick Watney (US) beat Anthony Kim (US) 5 & 4
KJ Choi (South Korea) beat Retief Goosen (South Africa) by 1 hole
Ryan Moore (US.) beat Francesco Molinari (Italy) 3 & 1
Matteo Manassero (Italy) beat Steve Stricker (US) 2 & 1
Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) beat Ryo Ishikawa (Japan) at hole 20
Luke Donald (Britain) beat Charley Hoffman (US) 6 & 5
Edoardo Molinari (Italy) beat Martin Laird (Britain) 3 & 2
Phil Mickelson (US) beat Brendan Jones (Australia) 6 & 5
Rickie Fowler (US) beat Peter Hanson (Sweden) by 1 hole
Matt Kuchar (US) beat Anders Hansen (Denmark) at hole 22
Bo Van Pelt (US) beat Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 2 & 0
Graeme McDowell (Britain) beat Heath Slocum (US) 4 & 3
Ross Fisher (Britain) beat Robert Allenby (Australia) 4 & 3
Stewart Cink (US) beat Ian Poulter (Britain) at hole 19
Y.E. Yang (South Korea) beat Alvaro Quiros (Spain) at hole 20
Martin Kaymer (Germany) beat Noh Yul-seung (South Korea) 7 & 6
Justin Rose (Britain) beat Zach Johnson (US) 2 & 1
Robert Karlsson (Sweden) beat Hiroyuki Fujita (Japan) 5 & 3
Hunter Mahan (US) beat Sean O'Hair (U.S.) 4 & 3
Rory McIlroy (Britain) beat Jonathan Byrd (US) 4 & 2
Ben Crane (US) beat Adam Scott (Australia) 4 & 2
Ryan Palmer (US) beat Jim Furyk (US) 2 & 0
Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) beat Yuta Ikeda (Japan) 2 & 1
Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) beat Tiger Woods (US) at hole 19
Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) beat Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 4 & 3
Mark Wilson (US) beat Dustin Johnson (US) at hole 19
Bubba Watson (US) beat Bill Haas (US) 3 & 2
Paul Casey (Britain) beat Richard Green (Australia) at hole 19
Jason Day (Australia) beat Kim Kyung-Tae (South Korea) 3 & 2
Ernie Els (South Africa) beat Jeff Overton (US) at hole 19
J.B. Holmes (US) beat Camilo Villegas (Colombia) 4 & 2
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
More on animal trafficking
Company profile
Company: Zywa
Started: 2021
Founders: Nuha Hashem and Alok Kumar
Based: UAE
Industry: FinTech
Funding size: $3m
Company valuation: $30m
The five pillars of Islam
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Diriyah project at a glance
- Diriyah’s 1.9km King Salman Boulevard, a Parisian Champs-Elysees-inspired avenue, is scheduled for completion in 2028
- The Royal Diriyah Opera House is expected to be completed in four years
- Diriyah’s first of 42 hotels, the Bab Samhan hotel, will open in the first quarter of 2024
- On completion in 2030, the Diriyah project is forecast to accommodate more than 100,000 people
- The $63.2 billion Diriyah project will contribute $7.2 billion to the kingdom’s GDP
- It will create more than 178,000 jobs and aims to attract more than 50 million visits a year
- About 2,000 people work for the Diriyah Company, with more than 86 per cent being Saudi citizens
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
THE HOLDOVERS
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
Rating: 4.5/5
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
