A few weeks ago, as Miguel Angel Jimenez flew back to Malaga from the Czech Open where he had finished tied for seventh place, he realised he was in a difficult position. He occupied the ninth spot for automatic selection into Europe's Ryder Cup team, but while his nearest continental rivals were preparing to play the Johnnie Walker Championship the following week, Jimenez was planning to attend his nephew's wedding.
Big problem: if the Spaniard failed to compete at Gleneagles, he could be leap-frogged out of contention and have to rely on Colin Montgomerie, Europe's captain, handing him a wild card. It would be a gift about as forthcoming as a Monty smile when photographers are caught taking snaps on his backswing. With the 46-year-old Jimenez aware that his dream of making a fourth Ryder Cup team could disappear in a puff of smoke, he sent Sarah Phillips, his agent, a text message informing her he was heading to Scotland.
His family would have to take a back seat. It was a calculated decision and, undoubtedly, Jimenez justified it. He finished third on his Johnnie Walker debut, securing ?87,500 (Dh405, 935) and a spot in Montgomerie's side for Celtic Manor, Wales, next month. He then followed up the success last weekend with his 18th European Tour title after winning the European Masters in Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland, where he ended the Sunday with a four-under par 67 to reach 21-under.
The victory was his third title of the season after success in Paris and that thrilling twilight play-off in Dubai. And it means Jimenez, only one year younger than Montgomerie and a quarter of a century older than Europe's youngest team member, Rory McIlroy, has now won 11 of his 18 titles since turning 40. As he joked with journalists at the Emirates Golf Club in February, he is a player who is getting better with age.
Such successes are a harsh contrast to that of his countryman Sergio Garcia, with whom Jimenez was paired on the opening afternoon of the 2008 Ryder Cup, and whose game has regressed so much that his recent decision to take a break only served to confuse armchair fans who had assumed he had left the game the best part of two years ago. At 19, Garcia had become the youngest golfer to play at the biennial event and has been involved in every tournament since 1999. Now 30 years old, he has endured a dismal season.
Having failed to qualify for this year's Ryder Cup he has effectively gone from effervescent ever-present to - courtesy of a sympathetic Montgomerie - a non-playing vice- captain. Montgomerie's decision may yet, however, prove a masterstroke. By selecting Garcia to be a vice-captain, he is handing the Spaniard a chance to rejuvenate himself and enjoy the matchplay event without the pressure to perform that he is clearly feeling.
Meanwhile, a player who has played in five previous Ryder Cups is never going to be ignored when giving advice - regardless of the fact he has not won a title since November 2008. There are six Ryder Cup rookies in Montgomerie's 12-man team; a team which now boasts five players who have all won tournaments in the past month, including Martin Kaymer, the Ryder Cup rookie who triumphed at the PGA Championships as Garcia dished out a dose of grievous bodily harm on a bunker.
Regardless of the Spaniard's ill temperament that day, all six debutantes will be well aware that with Garcia comes experience. They may also think twice about answering back if there is a sand-wedge nearby. Paul Casey and Justin Rose could have been given wild cards by Montgomerie, but it would have been a struggle to argue they deserved them, after skipping Gleneagles. However, the inclusion of Padraig Harrington, who has failed to win a tournament for more than two years, will continue to baffle. But Jimenez, ranked eighth in the Race to Dubai, is undoubtedly there on merit.
Here is a man who stood up at the start of the season and proclaimed that he would do his best "every week to be part of that team and defend Europe". Twenty-two tournaments in 32 weeks, spanning the globe from Abu Dhabi to Arizona, the tireless Spaniard has unreservedly fulfilled his promise. Others have not, and have instead rightly been accused of putting coinage before continent. Such a charge must never be levelled against Jimenez.
For in the career of the charismatic Andaulsian, not even family comes before the opportunity to represent at the Ryder Cup. @Email:gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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
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
'Nope'
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Civil%20War
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-cylinder%2C%204.8-litre%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E280%20brake%20horsepower%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E451Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh153%2C00%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Donating your hair
• Your hair should be least 30 cms long, as some of the hair is lost during manufacturing of the wigs.
• Clean, dry hair in good condition (no split ends) from any gender, and of any natural colour, is required.
• Straight, wavy, curly, permed or chemically straightened is permitted.
• Dyed hair must be of a natural colour
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
