There might not be anything new under the sun. But under floodlights? LIV Golf will continue its mission of “doing things differently to grow the game” when it starts its 2025 season in Riyadh this week. For the first time, a men’s professional tournament will be played at night.
Thursday’s opening round at Riyadh Golf Club will begin at 6.15pm, which is around 30 minutes after sunset. The two following rounds will start 10 minutes earlier, so they can be finished in time for late night concerts.
That means on Friday, for instance, some of the world’s leading golfers are essentially the warm-up act for the Backstreet Boys, who will be playing the main stage on the 19th. This is the fourth season of the breakaway tour and it continues to be golf, but not as we used to know it.
“From the moment we found out we would be playing under the lights I have been really excited,” said Jon Rahm, who won last season’s individual competition in his maiden campaign on the series. “It is what LIV Golf is all about: it is innovative, and creating new products for the consumer. It reminds me, on a different scale, to the first time Formula One staged races at night. It is a different feel and on TV it looks very, very cool. I hope golf comes out that way as well.
“My personal experience is it is really fun to be a part of. It is so different and unique. I think we could be having a very special week. Obviously, we are going to have our shortcomings because we are not used to it.”
Floodlit pro golf is not unique. In fact, it is something of a Gulf speciality. The Ladies European Tour got there first when the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic was played under the lights of the Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club.
Men’s pro golf under lights is unquestionably innovative, but it also plays to an existing audience. A third of the field in Riyadh are from America, including world stars like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.
Tournaments in the Middle East traditionally take place when golf’s vast TV audience in the United States are asleep. It is the reason the biggest stars at tournaments like the Dubai Desert Classic and Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship are often drawn at anti-social tee times in their early rounds, to get at least a little airtime stateside.
The first round of LIV Golf Riyadh will start at 10.15am on the US east coast, and 7.15am on the other side of the country. Because of the shotgun start, all the players will be on course at the same time, so viewers won’t have to wait around to see the stars. For the players, it will require some adaptation.
“My biggest thing is the 6pm tee time,” Rahm said. “We are so used to being home and thinking about going to bed by that time.
“We have played every practice round at night because we are playing at night, so we might as well get used to it. It is a shift. When we finish the tournament rounds, it will be 10.30-11pm. By the time you get back, it’s late, and then there is physio.
“Usually, I am in bed asleep by 9.30pm when I am at home. I have been trying to stay up and go to bed closer to 1am, just so there is not so much day ahead of me, and to get used to trying to perform at that time.
“It has definitely been interesting, especially when you travel far away, to have to stay up that late. But it is part of the appeal to a special week like this one.”
It is the first time a LIV event has been played in Riyadh. Jeddah has been a regular feature of the schedule since it started in 2022, and the difference between the two cities is significant.
While conditions in Jeddah have always been hot, the weather in the capital is cool. Temperatures at night will likely hover around the mid-teens. Fans at the AFC Champions League matches on Monday and Tuesday night were wrapped up variously in gilets, puffa jackets, scarfs and hats.
“The golf course in Jeddah I really liked but I never really had a good finish there,” Cam Smith, the Australian former Open champion, said.
“It was a struggle for me, really windy, really hot, then you come here, and it is actually quite still and quite cold. They are two completely different scales.”
At least the players on show will not face the problems of many amateurs who have played night golf. They are unlikely to err so far beyond the beam of the lights that they struggle to find their ball.
“It is a challenge,” said Joaquin Neimann. "[If you miss the] fairway, there are not many lights. [But] it is going to be great. There is a whole challenge waking up and starting your day later, and go to sleep 2am or 3am. Then you play later, and it is cold. The depth perception is not the same as during the day, and you have to adjust to that.
“Everything about playing at night is different. It is not normal to look up and see the moon rather than the sun.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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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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House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
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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Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
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Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
