Every day over three weeks, The National looks back at the 21 greatest moments in UAE sports history
The picture said it all.
It was February 2001, and Tiger Woods was in the midst of the finest golf of his professional career. The big-hitting American had hoarded the game’s three most recent majors, making up a nine-win season across the Atlantic, and had sights on completing the “Tiger Slam” two months later at the Masters.
Woods wasn’t just a golfer; he was a transcendent star, occupying billboards, magazine covers and primetime television slots.
That appeal was evidenced not long before his UAE debut. Such was the hype surrounding his first appearance at the Dubai Desert Classic – only his sixth regular European Tour event and a result of a two-year charm offensive – that organisers posted a “sold out” sign at the entrance to Emirates Golf Club. It remains the only tournament sell-out in UAE golf history.
“There was a buzz, everybody was happy because he was golf at that time,” Mohamed Juma Buamaim, the long-time Desert Classic supremo, told 'The National' years later.
For much of the week, Woods felt the only show in town. At one point, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the future Ruler of Dubai, invited him and close friend Mark O’Meara to his Godolphin stables in Al Quoz. A promising two-year-old colt was promptly renamed “Dubai Tiger”.
Come tournament time, Woods was a willing frontrunner, with playing partner Thomas Bjorn, in his own words, “trying to hang onto his shirttails”. By close of play on Saturday, Woods had carved a single-shot lead, and entered Sunday as the overwhelming favourite, even though he was grouped for the fourth successive day with Bjorn, a Dubai resident.
“The tournament built around us,” the Dane told 'The National' in 2014. “It became a two-man battle for a lot of it.”
However, the unthinkable transpired. On the final hole, with Bjorn having drawn level with birdie on 17, Woods dunked his approach shot in the water that guards the 18th green. It elicited a double-bogey and a closing 72, while Bjorn parred to post a 69. The impenetrable, seemingly impervious Woods had blown a 54-hole lead to lose by two.
“There was the big fear factor of playing with Tiger at that time,” Bjorn said. “He was expected to win every time he teed it up. Tiger never made mistakes then, but he did to hand me the title. That week was pretty special.”
Woods, though, would not be too disheartened. Ten weeks later, he landed a second Masters to hold all four majors at the same time. The “Tiger Slam” was crowned.
As for Dubai, Woods would exact some revenge, triumphing in 2006 and 2008. Two years before his first win, he had cemented his link to the emirate, posing on the Burj Al Arab and launching golf balls into the Arabian Gulf from 210 metres above sea level.
It is estimated that, within 24 hours, the image featured in close to 4,000 publications worldwide. Other stunts have taken place there since. But Woods, much like his golf career, proved the trailblazer.
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
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- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
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Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Dark Souls: Remastered
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Publisher: Namco Bandai
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
