Four years ago, at Valhalla Golf Club, a misfit collection of United States stars rode off into the Kentucky sunset with the Ryder Cup.
It was their first triumph against Europe since 1999, the five-point victory all the more astounding given the team included the boisterous Boo Weekley, the veteran Kenny Perry - at 48 as old as the captain Paul Azinger - the rookie JB Holmes and a brazen upstart in Anthony Kim.
Underdogs in their backyard the Americans sailed home to register their biggest winning margin in 27 years.
The cup has since been relinquished, courtesy of a Graeme McDowell-inspired win in the Celtic cauldron of Wales, but at Chicago in six weeks' time, the Stars and Stripes appear set to be wrapped around Samuel Ryder's dainty donation once again.
The eight automatic slots for the US team were decided following the conclusion of the US PGA Championship on Sunday, with Tiger Woods leading a prodigious pack that boasts Matt Kuchar, Zack Johnson, Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner and Webb Simpson. That is two major champions and 12 tournament wins on the PGA Tour for this year alone. And consider eighth-placed Phil Mickelson, out of form yet with the pedigree and experience to flourish, especially in the fervent surroundings of Medinah Country Club.
Davis Love III, the US captain, has until September 4 to reveal his four picks, with Hunter Mahan, twice a winner this season, Jim Furyk, close to landing the recent US Open and the WGC-Bridgestone, and a prolific putter, and (Woods's obvious partner) Steve Stricker favourites for inclusion. That presumably leaves Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, two of the greatest young American talents, vying for the 12th spot.
Not a bad dilemma to face.
Jose Maria Olazabal, Europe's captain, could warrant feeling anxious. Aside from the new US PGA champion Rory McIlroy, the defending champions are peppered with problems. Martin Kaymer, despite finding himself eighth in the standings, has had a season to forget; Sergio Garcia, a stalwart of the biennial clash, has fallen outside the top-10 automatic qualifiers; and Lee Westwood has just parted company with coach and caddie after a dismal summer campaign.
Bright spots, however fleeting, are provided by Ian Poulter's tied-third at Kiawah Island and McDowell's continued consistency.
There is, of course, time for fortune to change and form to be restored, but as of now it is very much advantage America.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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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
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
