Charley Hull spent her first couple of days as European No 1 in Dubai, enjoying some rare downtime, but then the itch began to take hold.
“Good few days without hitting a golf club,” she tweeted. “Looking forward to getting back at it again soon!”
It says much about Hull’s devotion to the game. For most teenagers, Christmas cannot usually come early enough, but last year Hull traded partying for practice.
Instead of prolonging the festivities at home, she headed to the range, sharpening a skill-set that this month carried her to the summit of the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Having turned 18 last March, though, Hull finally plans to let her hair down. Fair to say she deserves it.
“Last time, I went practising on Christmas Day with my friend, which was funny,” she says.
“But I don’t think I’ll do it this year. I want to enjoy Christmas, because I’ve had a great season and the way to get better sometimes is to rest.
“Rest is the key thing. People tell me that all the time. It’s annoying, but you have to. Because I don’t listen very much. It goes in one ear and out the other.”
Hull tweeted yesterday that, while most people were tucking into their Turkey, she hit the range for an hour.
But then again, it has served her so well in the past. After bursting onto the scene in 2013 – five consecutive runner-up finishes, a starring role at the Solheim Cup, LET rookie of the year honours – the Englishwoman has enjoyed a breakout season.
At the Lalla Meryem Cup, days before her 18th birthday, Hull triumphed in a play-off to register her first professional victory.
At the Kraft Nabisco – her third major championship as a pro – she went out on Sunday in the second last group before finishing seventh.
It aided her climb to 26th in the world rankings, while she banked £208,500 (Dh1.9 million) on the LET to become the youngest player to clinch its Order of Merit crown. The win in Morocco was the spark.
“I had all those seconds and kept feeling like I was knocking at the door,” Hull says. “I’d hit a window, but then I smashed it and got through it.
“It was just the best feeling ever when that putt on the play-off hole went in. I remember it like it was two minutes ago.”
Given her remarkable rise, it most probably was. Hull has only just wrapped a second season on tour, but the past 24 months have gone by in a flash.
“With me, I rush everything too fast, go at 100 miles per hour,” she says. “So the biggest thing is to calm down a little bit. Looking forward, it’s definitely just to pace myself.”
That may be difficult through 2015. Days before sealing the Order of Merit with a tied-fifth finish at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, Hull was in Florida at LPGA Q-School, obtaining conditional status on the United States’s primary circuit for next year.
Already, the majors form a legitimate target, although Hull is reluctant to set goals. It helps minimise the strain, manage expectation and maintain focus.
The approach is refreshing, if not typical of a talented teen with faith in her ability and nothing to fear.
“I don’t know what would represent a successful 2015,” she says. “Just try to get the ball in the hole in the least amount of shots in every tournament, that’d be good. It’s one shot at a time.
“It keeps the pressure off. At the end of the day, golf’s only a game. You play it for enjoyment. The way I look at it, say someone else’s job is in the army or something, having a bad day at work means they could lose a leg. Me, I could just lose a golf ball.”
She has quickly found her footing. Despite the plaudits and the prizes, Hull remains grounded, even when Tony Jacklin recently said she stood “on the threshold of greatness”, or when Laura Davies described her as the future of British golf.
The profile is building, too: this month, Omega jumped at the chance to make Hull a brand ambassador.
The demands on time and the glare of the spotlight will therefore intensify, yet she is not bowed by it, far from it.
“It’s something you have to do,” Hull says. “I like it. You learn to handle it from experience. I’ve got that focus myself, because I’ve noticed if someone tells me something I’m not going to listen until I’ve learnt the lesson on my own.
“My dad’s always let me learn the hard way. It’s definitely one thing I’ve always done.”
That much is corroborated by Gary Wildman, Hull’s caddie.
Appointed in March, Wildman has witnessed close at hand Hull develop into one of the game’s brightest talents.
He tells the story of this year’s British Open, when Hull played three rounds with Stacy Lewis, the defending champion and recent world No 1, and finished on the same score.
Yet having noticed Lewis’s superior putting at Royal Birkdale, Hull headed to the putting green rather than watch the winner’s presentation.
The only player there, for two hours she honed a new technique that facilitated her fine second half to the season.
Dedication appears her default setting. “The best way I could describe Charley is that she’s a 21st century golfer,” Wildman says. “She’s not just a great ball-striker, but mentally she’s very, very impressive.
“Yet she has traditional values in the integrity and the work ethic and, for an 18 year old, that’s unbelievable.
“Charley won’t get emotional about winning the order of merit. She’ll just say ‘well, that’s what I was destined to do’.
“The talent is unreal – I totally believe she’ll be in the top five in the world by the time she’s 21.”
Wildman expects Hull to take it all in her stride.
“It’s phenomenal; as a caddie, it is hard to take in,” he says. “Charley’s very passionate about golf and works extremely hard, but away from the course she’ll never talk about it.
“She has the ability to turn on and turn off. It’s a dream, a big strength. She looks 35 on the course but is a teenager off it.”
Hull will allow herself to act her age this Christmas.
It could be tough to lead an ordinary life given her extraordinary talent, but she does not feel she misses out at all.
“Not really, because I make up for it when I’m at home,” she says. “I go out with friends, relax and do pretty much what normal 18-year-old English people do. My friends don’t usually chat about golf.”
It certainly crept into the conversation this Christmas. Hull may have initially decided to stay away from the range yesterday, there she was, club in hand, presumably plotting the next stage of an already exceptional journey.
“I can’t wait to work on a lot of stuff in my game,” she says. “This year I’ve had a great season, but I don’t feel like I’ve necessarily played very well except in places. I was thinking, imagine if I play how I expect to play all the time, I’ll be where I want to be. It’s really exciting.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at SprtNationalUAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m, Winner: Zalman, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hisham Al Khalediah II, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Qader, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
8pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nayslayer, Bernardo Pinheiro, Jaber Ramadhan
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Match info
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
On sale: now
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
