Rory McIlroy acknowledged he was glad to have his nearest challengers for the Race to Dubai title within close view, after make a steady start to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Thursday.
The Northern Irishman is in pole position in the order of merit as he bids to claim a sixth Harry Vardon Trophy. He leads by the best part of 1,600 points going into the final two events of the season.
By the terms of the new DP World Tour Play-offs, the leading three players will go out in the same match in the opening two rounds of the restricted field, 70-player event in Abu Dhabi.
As such, McIlroy was able to keep a track of any movements Thriston Lawrence, in second, and third-placed Rasmus Hojgaard were making.
The trio did not exactly match each other shot for shot over the opening 18 holes, but by the end of it you could more or less throw a blanket over them.
At the conclusion of Day 1, McIlroy and Lawrence were in a tie for 18th place after 5-under-par 67s, with Hojgaard a stroke ahead. All of which means, advantage McIlroy in the overall picture.
“I know that if I have a really good week this week, it makes my job a lot easier next week,” McIlroy said, looking ahead to the season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
“Honestly, it's nice to be paired with Thriston and Rasmus because you can sort of keep an eye on what they are doing, as well.
“It’s been a really good year, very, very consistent. Started well with the win in Dubai [at the Desert Classic] and I've let a couple slip away as well.
“But I’ve had a great deal of consistency, and that’s the reason that I find myself in the place that I am. I wanted to come here to the Middle East these two weeks and finish the season off the way I felt it deserves to be finished off.”
Ahead of the tournament, Lawrence said he had not given up hope of overhauling McIlroy, although he suggested he would need two wins to do it.
After his 6-under-par opening round, Hojgaard said he was not losing focus because of the bigger picture.
“It’s a big challenge but these are two big events and a lot can happen,” Hojgaard said. “At the same time, [it is important to] just focus on my game.”
The race leaders will be the last match out on the second day at Yas Links on Friday. McIlroy, Lawrence and Hojgaard will be teeing it up at 11.50am.
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Handicap | US$135,000 (Dirt) | 1,400 metres
7.05pm: Handicap | $135,000 (Turf) | 1,200m
7.40pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (T) | 2,000m
8.15pm: UAE Oaks | Group 3 | $250,000 (D) | 1,900m
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile | Group 2 | $250,000 (T) | 1,600m
9.20pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Background: Chemical Weapons
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SRI LANKA SQUAD
Upul Tharanga (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella
Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana
Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna
Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera
Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine 2.4L four-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.4L/100km
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May
