If Paul Waring had paid just a little more thought to quite what was at stake for him on Sunday, this week might have gone down a whole lot differently.
As it was, he rocked up to Yas Links for the final day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with his cap on back to front, wearing shorts, and acting like he had not a care in the world.
Of course, as Rory McIlroy likes to put it, all he was really doing was hitting a little ball around a field. But he held a slender lead in the championship, and was on the brink of the biggest win of his career.
Even as a thrilling last day unfolded, and some of the sport’s biggest names – McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry among them – banked up behind him, he still did not waver.
At the 10th tee, while one of his playing partners worried about an errant tee shot, he tucked into a sandwich wrap instead.
And it all worked out perfectly. The 39-year-old Englishman closed out the second title of his career, his first Rolex Series win, and by far his biggest ever payday.
Life has changed markedly as a result. Now he can plan for the potential of playing at the British Open and the US PGA next season, for more time in the United States, and even a shot at Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
And to think, all he really had on his mind when he travelled down the coast road from Dubai to the capital was to make the cut for the 50-player, restricted- field season finale at his home course.
He had been 48th in the Race to Dubai ahead of Abu Dhabi. When he tees it up in the DP World Tour Championship at Earth Course, he will be sitting pretty in fifth.
“It has been absolute chaos, in all honesty,” Waring said of the past few days.
“It’s been a massive comedown. The adrenalin has finally come out of me a little bit. It’s kind of hit me what I’ve just achieved.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve been through and how I coped with it, but it’s been an absolute roller coaster these last few days.
“I didn’t realise the enormity of it when I was in the situation. Even afterwards, after lifting the trophy, nothing had sunk in about what I had actually gone and achieved.”
He says the prospect of playing on the US PGA Tour, as well as in the Ryder Cup, feels like a dream.
“It’s something that I think we aspire to play with the best players in the world, to forward my career and play on that side of the pond, with more world ranking points available, and potentially get in a few of the majors now,” Waring said.
“For me personally, of course [the Ryder Cup is] something we all dream of. Any level of golf, obviously the Solheim Cup, Ryder Cup, it's something that you grow up watching and feeling a part of.
“It’s my connection with the DP World Tour in Europe and the representation of Europe in that situation that would make me really want to play. But it's not just playing for me. It's about going and competing, getting the points.
“I'd only ever want to go if I was that person that could go and get a point. Because you have to be a beast to go and compete over there.”
Waring will go out in the third-last match of Round 1 of the tour championship, at what he terms “my backyard” in Jumeirah Golf Estates.
He will be in a match with Tyrrell Hatton, starting at 12.25pm, with Rasmus Hojgaard and Billy Horschel following 10 minutes later, before race leader McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence are the last match out on Day 1.
McIlroy is as good as assured a sixth Race to Dubai title, which will put him level on order of merit wins with Seve Ballesteros.
“[Ballesteros] was my dad's favourite player, and the immense impact he had on European golf from a Ryder Cup perspective and from what he did for the European Tour, he means a lot to the overall game of golf but specifically this tour,” McIlroy said.
“To draw level with him and to have a career that can somewhat stack up against his is very cool.”
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
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The five pillars of Islam
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Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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Everything Now
Arcade Fire
(Columbia Records)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
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World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
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Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Price: Dh980,000
On sale: now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
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Princeton
TEAMS
EUROPE:
Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson
USA:
Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau ( 1 TBC)
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
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- Professional ethics.
MATCH INFO
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
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- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
