DUBAI // Lee Westwood threw away the chance to retain his Dubai World Championship trophy by going for glory at the treacherous last hole.
The World No 1 put himself back in contention with a run of three birdies from the 14th that took him level with, Robert Karlsson, his playing partner and to within one shot of Ian Poulter.
But the Englishman was unable to maintain the sequence and an error at the 18th cost him badly.
Believing an eagle would sweep him to victory and a birdie would set up a play-off with Poulter, Westwood decided he had to take on the hole.
"I tried to hold it against a left to right wind and just turned it over too much, Westwood said, explaining his expensive misjudgment of length which resulted in his ball overshooting the green and slipping into the stream.
"It's one of those things," he said, after his 68 left him one shot shy of the leaders at 13 under.
"I didn't really deserve to have a chance, considering the amount of shots I've squandered. But I had a chance coming down the home stretch. I've been very sloppy out there, especially on the greens."
Westwood preferred to look on the positive side after another rewarding visit to Dubai which brought him combined earnings of US$1.2 million (Dh4.4m) from his joint-third-place finish in the tournament and his third place in the Race to Dubai.
"This is my first week back after two weeks off, so I can't be too disappointed. I am under cooked compared to the other guys."
That has been a recurring diagnosis for Westwood as he has completed a disjointed end to a year which reached a low point with the occurrence of a troublesome calf injury and peaked when he replaced Tiger Woods at the top of the world rankings.
"I was on a real roll in June, and I had played great from the start of the season. But then I got injured and it set me back. Fortunately, whenever I've come back, I've been competitive again."
Westwood was able to save his par at the last hole to secure a share of third place with Spain's Alvaro Quiros, who posted a 67.
Quiros was a whisker away from taking part in the play-off as he reached the 18th green in two but missed an eagle putt to tie the lead. Quiros said: "I was conscious that I needed to hole the putt for eagle and try to force the leaders to make birdies. But, it didn't break."
wjohnson@thenational.ae
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
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.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
England squad
Joe Root (captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
