TURNBERRY // Tom Watson's performance over the past four days on the links of his beloved Turnberry will be recounted by lesser mortals for many years to come after the golfing legend withstood a succession of challenges from younger, fitter rivals in a thrilling British Open.
The brilliant American in the end just failed to close out what would have been the greatest victory of his life in regulation play, a missed six-footer at the last consigning him to a four-hole play off against fellow American Stewart Cink.
Had he made that putt, Watson's triumph would have been nothing short of remarkable and would have stood alongside his victorious "Duel in the Sun" against his arch rival Jack Nicklaus on these same Ailsa links in 1977 at the top end of golf's greatest achievements.
Six weeks short of his 60th birthday, Watson stood to become by a distance the oldest winner of his sport's most famous title, smashing an age record set by the legendary 'Old' Tom Morris who was in his 47th year when he won the tournament for the fourth time in 1867.
Watson, who was also seeking to equal Harry Vardon's record tally of Open wins and to raise his haul of majors to nine, had set the pace from day one and remained at the top of the leaderboard for almost every hole since that opening round of 65.
Nerves were jangling as Watson came down the 72nd hole a shot ahead of his fellow American Stewart Cink, whose birdie at the last for a round of 69 had set a clubhouse aggregate target of 278, one better than the score posted an hour earlier by England's Chris Wood - the youngster who almost defied all the odds to win as an amateur at Royal Birkdale a year ago.
Cink should have been joined at two under par by Lee Westwood who was on that mark after a birdie at the 17th but the Englishman, putting for birdie and a share of the lead, rushed his putt six foot past and missed his return effort for par to finish in a tie for third with Wood.
The cheers for Watson as he walked down the last were deafening but he could not afford to be too responsive to them as his adrenaline-filled approach had raced through the green leaving him with a tricky uphill return to make the final par he desperately required.
Watched by Australian journeyman Mathew Goggin, with whom he shared the overnight lead, Watson again hit his ball too hard and was left with the knee-trembling six footer that has haunted him in the latter stages of his illustrious career.
Watson spoke several times during the week about the "spirituality" he has felt at Turnberry. When he needed a touch of divine intervention more than he had ever required it before, it was not quite there and he jabbed at what could have been the clinching putt to bring about a play-off with Cink.
Cink had started the day three behind Watson but refused to concede defeat after what looked like costly fives at 16 and 17. His brilliant approach to the last and nerveless putt rewarded his tenacity.
It also left Westwood ruing his own aggression at the last. Denied a play-off to last year's US Open by a single shot, he was agonisingly so near and yet so far again.
Only four players ended the 72 holes with scores better than par. Tied for fifth on level par were Goggin, Retief Goosen, of South Africa, and England's Luke Donald.
@Email:wjohnson@thenational.ae
Play-off drama, a1
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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