ABU DHABI // Turn 26 on Thursday. Win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday. Hold off some of the world’s best golfers in between.
So Tommy Fleetwood, how has your week been?
“It’s cool,” the Englishman said at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Sunday, moments after sealing a one-stroke victory to end a 1,247-day wait for his second European Tour triumph. “I didn’t really see it coming.”
To be fair, neither had most. Granted, Fleetwood has shown real signs of form during the past six months, and he had finished tied-ninth and tied-third in his final two outings of 2016, but the world No 102 had always struggled in Abu Dhabi.
In five previous appearances, he missed the cut four times. Then, on his back nine on Sunday, and with three major champions in tow in Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson and Martin Kaymer, Fleetwood barely missed a trick.
“Yeah, it was a very good field this week,” he said, heavy on the understatement. “There were some good players chasing.
“I’m very, very proud. I did really just concentrate on my own game and kept going. Thirty-one on the back nine on a Sunday is great, no matter who you are, and I think that’s probably what I’m most proud of over the week. It’s a very big deal to prove yourself against some of the world’s best.”
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Also from Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
■ Johnson: American wants to come back and win title next year
■ Stenson: Swede pleased even as title eludes him for 12th time
■ Numbers: Fleetwood's win, Larrazabal's miss and much more
■ Gallery: Relive final-round action at National Course on Sunday
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Is it not just? Fleetwood was right: his back nine really was world class, contributing to five-under 67, the lowest of the day. Playing in the penultimate group, he had started the day as one of a quintet chasing down overnight leader Tyrrell Hatton, alongside Johnson, the reigning US Open champion, and Kaymer, a three-time winner in Abu Dhabi.
But while Hatton quickly slipped from view, Fleetwood made his charge from the eighth. He birdied there, then chipped in for eagle on the par-5 10th to move to 14-under and within one of Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat at the summit. Fleetwood’s birdie at the 11th drew him level.
The duo soon had Pablo Larrazabal for company, but Fleetwood birdied 16 to hit the front. Holding a one-shot advantage on the final tee, he pulled his tee shot wide left and required relief for his second. With 264 yards to the front, and the pin 44 yards on, Fleetwood struck a superb three-wood that left him a two-putt to set the clubhouse lead on 17-under.
“I was never going to not take the shot on,” Fleetwood said.
From his place in the scorer’s hut, he watched on as Johnson eagled to finish one back. Then Larrazabal left his greenside chip short, meaning the Spaniard, the 2014 champion, had to settle for second alongside the American.
“I tried my best,” said Larrazabal, who chipped in on 14 and holed some impressive putts late on. “I knew that I had to go low. Plus-one after six, I had to go very low the last 12 holes and I’m very proud the way I did.”
Fleetwood, though, would conclude the week with the most gratification. In sealing the Falcon Trophy, he moves around about the coveted top 50 in the world rankings, but most importantly, he has that winning feeling again after three and a half years without it.
“I had a really rough time from July 2015 to July 2016 where I was really struggling with my game,” he said. “Things turned around and I’ve been on an upward trend from August really. And towards the end of the year I had good finishes: British Masters, DP World, Hong Kong. So the next step up after that is to win.”
The victory was very much a team affair. Fleetwood credited a return last year to long-time coach Alan Thompson and to caddie Ian Finnis, too, a long-time pal who took over the bag in July.
“He’s been a massively positive influence,” Fleetwood said. “I can’t give him enough credit for how good he’s been for me.”
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Test
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Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
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Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Company%20Profile
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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.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
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Cricket World Cup League Two
Teams
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
Fixtures
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Essentials
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Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
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Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
