Thomas Bjorn, captain of Team Europe, plays a shot during the Eurasia Cup Pro-Am at Glenmarie G&CCin Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
Thomas Bjorn, captain of Team Europe, plays a shot during the Eurasia Cup Pro-Am at Glenmarie G&CCin Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
Thomas Bjorn, captain of Team Europe, plays a shot during the Eurasia Cup Pro-Am at Glenmarie G&CCin Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
Thomas Bjorn, captain of Team Europe, plays a shot during the Eurasia Cup Pro-Am at Glenmarie G&CCin Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Stuart Franklin / Getty Images

Ahead of Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Thomas Bjorn to lead Europe's Ryder hopefuls in EurAsia Cup


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Schedule:

Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles

Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn will run the rule over a heavyweight European team when he skippers them against Asia in this week's EurAsia Cup.

Bjorn, who will captain Europe against USA in September, has six Ryder Cup veterans among his players as they take on Team Asia from Friday.

All 12 of Bjorn's team in Kuala Lumpur are European Tour winners, including world No 9 Henrik Stenson and Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood.

It gives Denmark's Bjorn a great chance to test players in a team environment before the showdown against USA in Paris.

But despite Europe's emphatic 18 1/2 to 5 1/2 win over Asia last time around in 2016, Bjorn said he is taking nothing for granted.

"We're very well aware that Asia has never fielded a stronger team than they do this time," Bjorn said, according to the European Tour website.

"Golf is a strange game. Whatever it says on the paper very rarely comes out on top. Golf in Asia is growing dramatically and the amount of players that are coming out of Asia in world golf shows where golf is going for the future."

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Team Asia captain Arjun Atwal said that his players also refused to see themselves as underdogs.

"Definitely everybody knows we are underdogs - except my team," he said.

"There is no such thing as an underdog in match playgolf. You can be underdogs on paper, but once the matches start, anything can happen."

The Asians have already proved they can match the Europeans, after they held them 10-10 at the inaugural EurAsia Cup in 2014.

Leading players on Atwal's team include world No 36 Yuta Ikeda from Japan and world No 49 Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, Anirban Lahiri of India and South Korea's An Byeong-hun.

Promising young Malaysian Gavin Green, the latest Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, is among a handful on the Asian side playing in the event at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club for the first time.

The US$4.8 million (Dh17.6m) EurAsia Cup runs from Friday to Sunday at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club.

A total of 24 points are on offer, meaning the first team to 12.5 points will win.

"Over 18 holes, anything can happen," Bjorn said.

RACECARD

4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m

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

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

 

 

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

John Cena v Triple H

Matches to be announced

WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended

The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV

Power: 360bhp

Torque: 500Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh282,870

On sale: now

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

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Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

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  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
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UAE v Zimbabwe A

Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs

Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai

Cultural fiesta

What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421,  Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day. 

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Schedule:

Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles