By 11am on the first day it seemed as if the story of the 2022 Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic could already be written.
The highest-ranked player in the field, the champion golfer of the year, and general all-round phenom had singed the fairways at the Majlis Course, and was as good as out of sight already.
And then, all of a sudden, Collin Morikawa coolled, in inverse proportion to the rising temperatures across the city.
From 7-under par after 11 holes, the world No 2 started to falter. Between there and the end of his round, he gave three shots back to the field, shuffled down into a pack, and was leapfrogged by a number of less luminous figures.
By the end of the day, the lead was held by Joachim B Hansen, a player seven years Morikawa’s senior, but aeons his junior in terms of golfing achievements and celebrity.
Hansen did not drop a shot as he reached the mark of 7-under. And, unlike Morikawa, he stayed there.
The player closest to him, at 6-under, is Justin Harding, who will still have one hole to complete before the second round gets under way.
Beyond that is a group of players at 5-under par, including Tommy Fleetwood, and former Classic champion Sergio Garcia.
Then there is that guy Morikawa, lurking a shot further back. “It was a disappointing finish,” Morikawa said after signing for a 68.
“But I've been working Monday through Wednesday, even into yesterday late after the Pro-Am trying to figure things out.
“When you are thinking about so much, you always have to remember to go play golf. I'm happy with 4-under.
“Not thrilled, but to see just some things that I've been working on just show up on the course was really nice.”
Morikawa acknowledged in the build up he had been working intensely on his game, having been in the UAE for the past two weeks.
“Literally once I tee the ball to once I take the ball out of the cup, I've been thinking about everything, trying to figure out what to do,” he said after his opening 18 holes at the Majlis.
“And sometimes that's all you have and you've got to play with it, and that's what I'm doing.
“I'm trying to not worry about too much and just show up on the golf course, play golf, and just know what my miss is going to be. I think that's the biggest thing.”
Morikawa is a two-time major winner. Hansen has won twice on the DP World Tour himself, although he still cuts a relatively indistinct figure.
The second of those two titles arrived in this city, back in November when he won the Aviv Dubai Championship around the Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
While that win made him “a bit more relaxed”, the world No 110 from Denmark said his first thoughts are still about doing enough to remain on tour.
“[I have] a bit more belief in myself, but still have to play pretty good golf to play here in 2023,” Hansen said. “So I’m just trying to do my best.”
No country has had more winners at the Classic than Spain, and two of their countrymen put themselves in contention on Day 1 this time around.
Each of Garcia and Pablo Larrazabal, who posted matching 67s for a share of third place, suggested the warmth had something to do with their good form.
“The weather really helps,” Garcia said. “It's a really nice golf course and I've done well here, so that also helps. It's usually a nice to way to start the year. You're always excited to come back.”
Larrazabal won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2014, and acknowledged the conditions in the Middle East suit him.
“Well, what are you wearing?” Larrazabal said. “You're wearing a shirt. You're not wearing a jacket.
“That's it. I play good with a shirt on. I don't like to wear jackets and all that stuff.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- 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
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
WWE TLC results
Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles
Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax
Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match
Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre
Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match
Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match
Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day
R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
