Rory McIlroy’s short wedge to 15 caromed off the pin and careered back into the bunker that guards the green.
Looking forlornly at caddie Harry Diamond, the two-time winner’s heavy sigh said it all. McIlroy’s tournament had turned on a moment of misfortune.
Perhaps still flustered, his recovery nestled on the fringe and the resultant par putt did not find the cup. Suddenly, the DP World Tour Championship’s overnight leader had relinquished his spot at the summit.
On the very next hole, McIlroy three-putted from distance and his hopes of an unprecedented third triumph around the Earth Course disappeared into the desert evening.
Up ahead, Collin Morikawa had birdied 17, moving three ahead of the pack and practically sealing the tournament title to go along with his soon-to-be-rubber-stamped Race to Dubai crown.
McIlroy’s last throw of the dice – a chipped attempt at birdie on the penultimate hole of the European Tour’s season finale – came up agonisingly short. Just like his tournament on the whole.
The four-time major champion, bidding to win for a second successive competitive outing, would drop another shot on 18, when his drive found the wood-chipping well right of the fairway and his second, hooked around the trees that enveloped him, plonking in the creek just short of the green.
By then, in the grand scheme of things, the closing bogey did not really matter. In the end, McIlroy signed for a two-over-par 74 and fell into a tie for sixth.
And so the late-season resurgence was checked somewhat. The former world No 1, DP World Tour Championship winner in 2012 and 2015, came into the week at Jumeirah Golf Estates on the back of victory at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas last month. Through the first three days’ play in Dubai, for the most part his form suggested his game was very much back, those recent Ryder Cup woes well and truly left behind.
But McIlroy never capitalised on his one-shot advantage going into Sunday. To be fair, he did birdie the second, but gave back the shot on the par-3 4th. A birdie on 10 lifted him clear once more of a surging Matt Fitzpatrick, the defending champion who had temporarily pulled level at the top. Then, with six holes of the European Tour’s 2021 campaign to play, McIlroy held a two-shot lead.
Not long after, Morikawa birdied 15 – his third birdie in four holes – and McIlroy had company. Soon, he tackled the same hole, but his approach struck the flagstick and McIlroy came unstuck.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The specs: 2019 Lincoln MKC
Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045
Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 253hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 389Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club race card
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
6pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed; Dh180,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh100,000; 2,400m
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Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
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Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
