Brandon Stone might have enjoyed one of his finest weeks in recent times, but he said the faltering start to his final round at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic had felt like “doing a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson”.
The 27-year-old South African started the final day at the Majlis Course in the penultimate group, two shots behind the leader Paul Casey.
His challenge unfolded in the space of the first seven holes, though. The three bogeys he made in that time matched the number he had made in his previous 40 holes in the event.
“It felt horrible, like I was doing a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson,” Stone said.
“I felt like I couldn't get the ball on the green, and like I was putting from a distance, and every time I was putting I was putting for par.
“The long walk from the 9th green to the 10th tee box kind of reset everything. I kind of just said, ‘All you have to do is hit one good shot and one good shot’.”
His inner monologue did the trick. He birdied three of the next four holes, and eventually signed for level-par 72.
It gave him a tournament total of 13-under, which was four strokes behind the winner Casey, but enough for second place on his own.
“I’m extremely proud of the performance I put up this week,” Stone said.
“I played some lovely golf, considering I was, I think I was 2-over through five holes on Thursday. So it's a fantastic fightback.
“Any time you're going to be in contention here at the Emirates, it's quite special.
"The media have been supporting this tournament for many years, and the illustrious list of winners that have their name on the trophy is quite special.
“And on top of all that, I got to play with Sergio [Garcia, in the final round] which is like a boyhood dream come true. Other than that it was a horrible week!”
Stone has three European Tour wins so far in his career, with the most recent coming at the Scottish Open in 2018. He did have one runner-up finish in the 2020 season, in Oman.
Despite starting within reach of the leader on the final day at Emirates Golf Club, he said the thought of raising the Dallah Trophy scarcely entered his mind.
“It wasn't really in much consideration,” Stone said.
“Especially after the first six holes and I'm 3-over par, I didn't really think about winning a tournament anymore.
“It was more a case of playing some good golf. That's the mentality I've had for the last few months and it's served me well so far. Hopefully, I can carry that with me for the rest of the season.”
Stone finished a place ahead of Robert MacIntyre, whose own challenge wilted with a final-round 74, playing in the final match with Casey.
The Scottish left-hander’s round fell apart with a run of four successive bogeys around the turn.
“Sometimes it doesn't go for you, and today was one of them days,” MacIntyre said.
“When I go away, I'll learn a lot. But I felt like I gave one away there today.”
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2018 Ford Mustang GT
Price, base / as tested: Dh204,750 / Dh241,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque: 569Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.3L / 100km
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
RESULTS
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England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
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