For Rory McIlroy, déjà vu in Dubai. Two months after his late derailment at the DP World Tour Championship, the world No 8 came a cropper in the emirate once more.
This time, McIlroy misfired on the closing two holes — back in November, in the season finale, he bogeyed three of the final four — when a par-bogey finish put paid to his chances of a record-equalling third Dubai Desert Classic.
Slync, the new tournament sponsors, were given the grandstand conclusion they most probably desired — and more than once, first provided by Viktor Hovland, then Richard Bland, then McIlroy and, finally, by Hovland, this time victor, again.
McIlroy, though, could have done without another dramatic denouement in the desert. He began the day in the final three-ball, but in solo second, two shots behind Justin Harding.
A bogey at the first was therefore not the start he would have wished, but with Harding and Fleetwood both dropping shots too, the damage was limited. Then McIlroy birdied the sixth — brilliantly — and the seventh, and the firm fan’s favourite all around a packed Emirates Golf Club seemed set to bound his way to the title.
After a gutsy bogey on the 10th, McIlroy bounced back with birdie on the next, and the lead was his. He picked up another shot on the par-5 13th.
By the time the four-time major champion played 17, Hovland had stormed to the clubhouse lead, courtesy of an astonishing birdie-eagle-birdie finish. Bland, seeking a second DP World Tour title less than a year after his first arrived at the 478th attempt, would soon birdie the final two holes to join the Norwegian on 12-under.
Still, McIlroy had a driveable par-4 and a reachable par-5 for Classic crown No 3. But he hooked his tee-shot at the penultimate hole into a bush and, opting not to take a drop, gorged his second into the rough. A stirring up-and-down for par appeared to hand McIlroy much-need momentum for the last. A birdie would seal victory.
So McIlroy sent a 3-wood to the heart of the fairway and, with 267 yards to go and the wind blowing back into him, selected not to lay up and instead go for the green. This time, his 3-wood arced way right into the water, leaving another up-and-down for the play-off.
McIlroy, however, chipped to 16 foot and watched his par putt slink around the hole’s edge, and his race was run. He signed for a 71, and third place.
McIlroy, for the second time in quick succession in Dubai, appeared stunned. Earlier, after registering a superb 66 and waiting to learn his tournament fate, Hovland told broadcasters that he expected McIlroy to “close this one out”.
“Looks like he's got this one,” he shrugged. Yet, ultimately, McIlroy didn't.
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)
Banton 53 no
Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)
Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7
Qalandars win by six wickets
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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
Results
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
Winner Spirit Of Light, Clement Lecoeuvre (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer)
6.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner Bright Start, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
6.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner Twelfthofneverland, Nathan Crosse, Satish Seemar
7.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Imperial Empire, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
7.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
Winner Record Man, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Celtic Prince, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)
Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)
