Despite returning to a country he once called home, and a tour on which he was once the darling, Henrik Stenson might still have felt trepidation ahead of his Thursday three-ball at Yas Links.
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the first DP World Tour event Stenson has played since he was removed as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain last June for switching to LIV Golf.
The Swede had been due to lead the side in the match against the United States in Rome later this year, which would have been due reward for a stellar career on tour.
A sporting arbitration case in early February will determine whether LIV members such as Stenson, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, who are also playing in the capital this week, can continue to play on the DP World Tour.
The issue has been termed golf’s “civil war”, and Stenson might have been wary of the reception he was going to get on his return. In truth, it was scarcely more than lukewarm, given his 7.50am tee time.
No more than a handful of spectators had made it to the first to see him start. As Stenson strolled onto the tee box, dressed in black trousers and a black hoodie, his greeting from playing partners Soren Kjeldsen and Paul Waring was perfectly civil.
Asked, after he had signed for an opening round of 4-under-par 68, whether he felt welcome, Stenson said: “Absolutely. No question.”
The 46-year-old has won 11 times on the European Tour, with the vast majority of those titles earned while he lived in the Meadows, Dubai.
“It's been good to be back,” he said. “I played these events for 20-odd years. It's always fun to come back and see everyone."
Stenson was philosophical about what has happened since he decided to join the Saudi-backed LIV tour, and said he harboured no resentment.
“It's been difficult times obviously,” he said.
“We're still going through that. I hope we end up in a place where everything works out the best for everyone - players, spectators, tours and everything else.
"It's been a rocky road, not just on my end the last six months. I think for the most part, people are above that.
“If you're friends with someone, you're friends with them no matter where they choose to work.
“And sometimes, even if someone makes a decision that you don't necessarily agree with, or think is the right one with the information and the circumstances that you have in front of you, if you're friends, you can look past that. That's what I feel here.”
In a twist of fate, Luke Donald, the player who has replaced Stenson as Europe’s captain, finished the opening morning at the top of the leaderboard.
The Englishman, who teed off at the same time as Stenson, albeit starting at the 10th hole, posted an 8-under 64 to lead by one shot from Jason Scrivener and Guido Migliozzi.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif (Al Jazira), Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah), Mahmoud Khamis (Al Nasr), Yousef Jaber (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalifa Al Hammadi (Jazira), Salem Rashid (Jazira), Shaheen Abdelrahman (Sharjah), Faris Juma (Al Wahda), Mohammed Shaker (Al Ain), Mohammed Barghash (Wahda), Abdulaziz Haikal (Shabab Al Ahli), Ahmed Barman (Al Ain), Khamis Esmail (Wahda), Khaled Bawazir (Sharjah), Majed Surour (Sharjah), Abdullah Ramadan (Jazira), Mohammed Al Attas (Jazira), Fabio De Lima (Al Wasl), Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Khalfan Mubarak (Jazira), Habib Fardan (Nasr), Khalil Ibrahim (Wahda), Ali Mabkhout (Jazira), Ali Saleh (Wasl), Caio (Al Ain), Sebastian Tagliabue (Nasr).
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
