So sick was Charley Hull on Wednesday, that she left La Reserva Club de Sotogrande midway through the Pro-Am to head back to her hotel room to recuperate.
What turned out to be a nasty bug seemed troublesome alright: Hull lost three kilograms before returning on Thursday morning for the first round of the inaugural Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande.
Then she went out, in the stifling heat in southern Spain, and shot a blemish-free 65 to share the lead in both the team and individual events that run simultaneously in this new Golf Saudi-owned entry on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
“I’ll probably get my manager to get me sick more often, shoot low scores,” Hull quipped after signing for 7-under, which moved her alongside American Alison Lee at the summit.
That’s where Team Hull are on their leaderboard, too, after Isabelle Boineau, Katja Pogacar and amateur Andreas Feller helped lift the group to 14-under. After the early wave had finished at Sotogrande, they shared top spot together with teams captained by Swedish pair Caroline Hedwall and Linnea Strom.
“Yesterday I had a sickness bug all day,” said Hull, a two-time winner on the LET and its 2013 Rookie of the Year. “I literally lost 3kg overnight, which is pretty crazy. I was pretty dehydrated. I didn’t get to see the back nine of the golf course, but I shot four-under on it blind, so I felt like I played pretty well.”
All things considered, “pretty well” was an understatement. Thursday’s first round provided further evidence that Hull clearly enjoys the novel format. In its first iteration, the Aramco Team Series comprises four events, all 54-hole and boasting a $1 million prize fund. The series teed off last month in London, before it will take in New York and Jeddah later this year.
Hull finished third in the individual standings in London. Wearing two hats, figuratively, this week, as captain the Englishwoman selected teammate Boineau of France and was then randomly assigned Slovakia’s Pogacar. Patently, and with all four colleagues - Feller, the amateur, included - contributing to their overall score, they gelled pretty well.
“It was really good,” Hull said. “It was great fun out there today - such a chilled, relaxed group. It was lovely. I just had so much fun. It was great to play with these two girls.
“I just like [the format]. It’s a really relaxed event. You go out there, have a lot of fun. Like today, I was learning some French on the golf course, thanks to Isabelle. It was just a good laugh.”
Pushed by the LET inhouse interviewer as to what vocabulary she’d picked up, Hull responded: “I’ll just say ‘Oui’ for now. I don’t want to embarrass myself on TV.”
Boineau, whose victory at the 2016 Ladies Scottish Open remains her sole win on the circuit, was obviously delighted simply to be in front of the camera.
“It’s nice to get interviewed, thanks to you guys,” she said, nodding towards the two teammates next to her. “It’s pretty rare these days on the LET for me. But I’m happy that Charley chose us to play with her. It’s great, and she played very well today.”
On the format, Pogacar added: “It’s different for sure, but I enjoy it really much because we’re a team and we’re working together and it’s always fun.”
Elsewhere, United States star Paula Creamer continued her road back from injury by captaining her team to 13-par, meaning they sit solo second. In the individual event, Creamer shot a 2-under 70. Meanwhile, Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson represents the closest challenger to Hull and Lee, at 5-under.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
2017%20RESULTS%3A%20FRENCH%20VOTERS%20IN%20UK
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFirst%20round%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEmmanuel%20Macron%3A%2051.1%25%3Cbr%3EFrancois%20Fillon%3A%2024.2%25%3Cbr%3EJean-Luc%20Melenchon%3A%2011.8%25%3Cbr%3EBenoit%20Hamon%3A%207.0%25%3Cbr%3EMarine%20Le%20Pen%3A%202.9%25%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESecond%20round%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EEmmanuel%20Macron%3A%2095.1%25%3Cbr%3EMarine%20Le%20Pen%3A%204.9%25%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
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What should do investors do now?
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Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
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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
