Having won five professional titles between the other two regular events in the city, it was no surprise Rory McIlroy made a flying start to the newest Dubai event on Thursday.
Not for everyone else, at least. But the man himself acknowledged his opening round 9-under-par 62 in the first round of the Dubai Invitational exceeded his own expectations.
The world No 2 arrived in the emirate this week ahead of what he expected to be a “gentle” tune up ahead of the new DP World Tour season.
Instead, he burned up a course which has been a stranger to Tour golf for over two decades. The Dubai Creek and Yacht Club hosted the Dubai Desert Classic for two seasons, in 1999 and 2000, when it was briefly relocated from the Emirates Golf Club.
It looks a picture on its return to top billing, with a new event that takes the form of a pro-am event with 60 professionals and, for the first three rounds, the same number of amateurs.
It was decorated, too, by a classy round by the tournament’s most recognisable figure.
Playing in a four-ball that also had Abdullah Al Naboodah, the tournament host, McIlroy picked up two birdies in his opening six holes, after starting at the 10th.
He later fired five more in six holes from the 17th to the fourth, and finished with birdies at the seventh and ninth.
“I didn’t expect that,” said McIlroy, who will next week aim to defend a Desert Classic title he has already won three times before.
“It didn't feel quite as good as that the first couple of days when I was here and hitting balls and playing the course. But it was nice to get a card in the hand again and feel the competitive juices flowing.
“I surprised myself a little bit but hopefully there will be more of the same over the next few days.”
The Northern Irishman holds a two-shot lead after round one, ahead of Yannick Paul. The German’s 7-under opening round is one better than Thriston Lawrence, with Tommy Fleetwood and Thorbjorn Olesen a shot further back.
“I think when the wind gets up, it can get a little bit tricky when the wind starts coming off the water,” McIlroy said of the playing conditions at The Creek.
“We played the first 12 or 13 holes basically without any wind and then there was a little wind. I think around the Creek you have to miss it in the right spots.
“There’s some water here and there. I think I did a good job today of managing my misses and missing on the right side, and when I did make a shot, I managed to take advantage of it.”
Fleetwood said the course provided a challenge, despite it being shorter than many of the courses the players are used to on tour.
“It doesn't play that long but it’s one of those that I just think you can get impatient on, or you can feel like you should be doing better than you are,” Fleetwood said.
“I think the scoring was pretty good today but even then, I think, what, 3-under was probably in the top 10 or something like that. I know Rory shot 9-under. Whatever, Rory.
“It’s a course that you can't force it too much just with the way it’s playing. Play well, play sensibly and see where you are at the end of the week.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight, Wednesday, BeIN Sports
The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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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
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
