Paul Azinger spent many a long hour agonising over his four wild-card picks to complete the US Ryder Cup team line-up, and while Chad Campbell was the big surprise, his selection was no shock to me.
Zinger and I are neighbours in Bradenton, Florida, and he gave me a sneak preview of his likely team when we met on the beach on Sunday at nearby Anna Marie Island, where we often go with our families.
This time, many people had gone to the island to see the amazing surf caused by Hurricane Gustav, and when I bumped into Zinger, his mind was on the Deutsche Bank Championship, which was heading for its climax the next day in Boston.
Steve Stricker (10th in the US Ryder Cup standings), Hunter Mahan (13th), and the big-hitting JB Holmes, a Kentucky native who could expect huge home support at Valhalla, were already firmly in his mind to win three of the wild-cards.
But Zinger was looking for an in-form player, preferably with Ryder Cup experience, to emerge from the pack of candidates at Boston to clinch the fourth spot.
Seventh place in a PGA Tour event wouldn't normally be enough to swing it for a Ryder Cup hopeful.
But it was the sixth top-10 finish of the year for Campbell, who had gone close to winning in Houston earlier in the season and ranks 11th in the Tour's scoring average with winnings of more than US$2million (Dh7,346m).
And a good showing in Boston tipped the balance in favour of Campbell, who had the advantage of having been in the US team in 2004 and 2006, and looks ready made for a third Ryder Cup appearance.
Before finalising his four wild-cards, Zinger spent hours on the phone gathering input from his three vice captains, Raymond Floyd, Dave Stockton and Olin Brown, automatic Ryder Cup team members, and other people in golf whose opinion he respects. Rather than being a sign of indecision, that's confirmation that Zinger has his finger on the pulse. He needed to pick four players who would fit in and command respect, and he's done just that in my opinion.
I told him that I'd be focusing on his selections in this column, and he called me from his hotel room in New York just before midnight last night to say that he'd be able to have a good night's sleep after finally deciding on his four wild-cards, ahead of tomorrow's official announcement.
I've known him since my time on the PGA Tour 20 years ago, and have got to know him a lot better since we became neighbours. I interviewed him at his home for a Ryder Cup TV preview, and was impressed with his clear thinking. A vital asset for a Ryder Cup captain.
Obviously, his choice of Campbell won't please everyone, just as Nick Faldo's selection of Ian Poulter and Paul Casey didn't go down well with some in Europe.
Azinger told me he was surprised that Faldo had not picked Darren Clarke, particularly after his victory in the Dutch Open. But Faldo has gone for two players who are generally more consistent, and are much higher up the world rankings. As a result, he has a team made up of players who are all in the world's top 50.
Clarke has won twice this year and would have been a popular choice, particularly after his heroics in Ireland two years ago. But his form is still a bit up and down, and Poulter and Casey are generally more consistent, as their world rankings of 25 and 36 reflect, compared with Clarke's of 61.
Poulter probably played himself into the team with his second place at the Open Championship. He's missed the last two cuts in the US, but that's probably because his mind has been on the Ryder Cup. He should fine at Valhalalla.
Casey had a great Walker Cup record and has also won the World Matchplay Championship. That adds up to him being one of the best matchplay specialists in Europe, and on the strength of that he was a good choice. He'll have no problems dealing with the intense pressure that the Ryder Cup creates.
So it's hard to argue with Faldo's two selections, while his decision not to pick Colin Montgomerie was straightforward. I talked to Monty recently and even he didn't feel he had much of a chance.
He's been sliding quickly down the world rankings to his present position of 95th, and while you would never write off Monty - and he's already said he's determined to be back in 2010 - he just hadn't shown the form to win a place.
On one hand, he might have been picked because of his brilliant Ryder record, and the fact that he would have intimidated some of the American players.
But a few Ryder Cup captains of the past, particularly Americans, have made big mistakes in picking players based on their performances in previous years.
Curtis Strange is one good example of someone who got in on his reputation and Ryder Cup record, and then had a terrible time. I'd hate to have seen that happen to Monty, but don't count against him being in the team on merit in 2010.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
The specs
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
Background: Chemical Weapons
Racecard
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The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
Bangladesh tour of Pakistan
January 24 – First T20, Lahore
January 25 – Second T20, Lahore
January 27 – Third T20, Lahore
February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi
April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi
April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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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
