SAN FRANCISCO // Former winners Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk will take a two stroke joint lead into the final round at the US Open after emerging from a packed leader board.
Ulsterman McDowell emerged from the shadows to win his first major at nearby Pebble Beach two years ago and the west coast was good to him again as he came in with a battling two-under 68.
Furyk, who won his first, and to date only major title, at the 2003 US Open at Olympia Fields near Chicago, had a level-par 70.
At one-under 209, they were the only men to duck under par on a pulsating day of quality golf, played on an unforgiving, but fair Olympic Club layout.
Two strokes back after a 68 for 211 came Swede Fredrik Jacobson, while England's Lee Westwood (67), two-time former champion Ernie Els of South Africa (68), big-hitting Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts (71) and US qualifier Blake Adams (70) were at two over.
Joint overnight leader and tournament favourite Tiger Woods had a nightmare round of 75 which left him at four over for the tournament with only an outside chance of ending his four-year long victory drought in majors.
Starting the day in a share of the lead on one-under 139, with Furyk and another American, David Toms, the former world No. 1 quickly fell victim to the opening six holes at The Olympic Club, which he rates as being one of the toughest stretches in major golf.
Woods bogeyed the first, third and sixth, and worse was to follow at the relatively easy par-three eighth where he three-putted to further plummet down the leader board.
It was starting to look bleak for the 36-year-old American, who is seeking his 15th major title, but he got a timely boost at the ninth when he sunk a 15-footer for birdie and a score of 37 at the turn.
But further bogeys down the back nine at the 16th and the last, where he badly fluffed a chip from stiff rough at the side of the green, left him shaking his head.
Toms went in the same direction by dropping five strokes in six holes and only Furyk held firm with two bogeys and a birdie to reach the turn in 35 and remain ahead at level par.
McDowell meanwhile played steadily with eight opening birdies before he bogeyed the ninth.
But showing the kind of determination he displayed at Pebble Beach, the Ulsterman dug deep for three birdies down the back nine.
The chasing pack was led by England's world No. 3 Westwood, who came in with a day's equal best score of three-under 67 to get to two over for the tournament.
Westwood has come agonisingly close in all four major tournaments over the last few years, and with the early exits of countryman Luke Donald and defending champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, he is the highest-ranking player left in the field.
"I'm really pleased. I gave myself a lot of birdie chances and a couple on 16 and 17 that would have made it a spectacular round," he said.
"I hit a lot more fairways and didn't really struggle, even the two bogeys I had chances to make par.
"I played a sensible, professional round. Major championships are good fun and it's nice to shoot a good round and be in with a chance tomorrow."
Els, a 42-year-old two-time former US Open champion, who has fallen on hard times of late, had an extraordinary round.
Starting the day at four over he looked to have played himself out of contention with three bogeys in the first five holes.
But he then bounced back, looking more like the Els of a few years back, with birdies at the seventh, eighth and 12th before chipping in for eagle at the 17th.
That gave him a two-under 68 and at two over for the tournament he ended the day with realistic hopes of a third US Open win an incredible 15 years after his last.
"Experience helps around here," was his verdict.
"For some reason I'm patient again this week and that's been kind of my virtue in Major Championship golf - the ability to be patient and wait it out.
"And I think you're going to have to do that tomorrow. If you have a little bit of a flyer somewhere in the round take it and then protect it."
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us
@SprtNationalUAE
Need to know
The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours.
The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.
When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend are January-February and September-October. Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.
Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
