The history of the US Open at Pebble Beach is short. The memories are not.
The course, which will host its fifth Open this week, is famous for its beauty, especially the seven holes in the middle that run along the rugged Pacific coastline, and the wall along the 18th fairway that stands between the great meeting of land and sea.
Adding to its mystique is the Hall of Fame champions the course has produced during its four US Opens. The four winners collectively own 202 victories on the PGA Tour and 41 majors.
"Great venues have great winners," Geoff Ogilvy said. "Most members have it wrong. They think high scores validate their golf course. It's great champions that validate a golf course, don't you think? And they've all been great tournaments."
No doubt, they have been memorable. It started in 1972 with Jack Nicklaus hitting a one-iron into the cool, ocean wind on the par-3 17th. The ball struck the pin and stopped a foot away for a birdie that gave him the second leg of the Grand Slam.
Ten years later, with perhaps the most memorable shot of all, Tom Watson chipped in for birdie from behind the 17th green to deny Nicklaus a record fifth US Open.
In 1992, Tom Kite chipped in on the par-3 seventh hole in the blustery, punishing conditions to win.
And then there was Tiger Woods, who won by 15 strokes in 2000, the greatest winning margin in 150 years of major championship golf.
Many people have said they expected Woods to win that year. But this year, everything is up in the air going into the 110th US Open, which starts tomorrow.
Woods is the world No 1, as he was 10 years ago, but the similarities stop there. His image was shattered during the off-season when he was caught in a web of infidelity, and Woods has not looked the same since returning from a five-month layoff at the Masters and tying for fourth.
For the first time in his career, he failed to finish consecutive tournaments - he missed the cut at Quail Hollow, then withdrew in the final round of The Players Championship with a sore neck.
The real measure of Woods might start tomorrow at Pebble Beach. It is a course where he feels comfortable, even though he last saw it eight years ago. It is where he became the first player in US Open history to finish in double digits below par (12 under).
"Places like Memorial, Pebble Beach, the Old Course ? his history is pretty good at those golf courses," tour player Paul Goydos said. "If he goes through all those uncompetitive, then you can ask that question."
Woods is four majors behind the record 18 won by Nicklaus. This is an important year with Pebble Beach and St Andrews on the major rotation. Nicklaus still believes Woods will break his record, although he is curious about these next two months.
"He basically won on those fairly easily through the years," Nicklaus said. "If he has problems with those golf courses, sure, they won't come around for a while. Maybe it might be tougher."
For now, the more tangible rival is Phil Mickelson. He is a three-time winner at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and it was at Pebble Beach in the 1992 US Open that he turned professional. He opened with a 68 that year, only to follow with an 81 to miss the cut.
His career has been like that, filled with up and downs, the changes sometimes swift and with little notice. Mickelson is trending upward at the moment, and he comes to Pebble Beach as the only player capable of the Grand Slam this year.
He scored an inspirational victory at the Masters, but has never won the Open. From Pinehurst to Shinnecock to Winged Foot, all he has to show is a silver medal.
A year ago at Bethpage Black, Mickelson missed short putts over the final four holes and fell out of contention. He could not catch Lucas Glover, and was runner-up for a record fifth time.
"It's my national open," Mickelson said. "Growing up here, that's a special event for me. I really want to give myself the best opportunity in the US Open. I had a good chance last year. A couple of years I've had great chances and haven't come through, and it's the one event that I'd love to win.
"With this tournament being at Pebble ... I feel like there's a good opportunity there."
* AP
2000
Winner: Tiger Woods
(71 tour wins, 14 majors)
Score, margin: 272, 15 shots
Runners-up: Ernie Els, Miguel Angel Jimenez
Summary: In the most dominant victory in the 150 years of major championship golf, Woods opened with a six-under-par 65 and never let up. His 15-stroke win broke the record for widest margin in a major, previously held by Old Tom Morris (13 shots) at the 1862 British Open. Woods became the first player to finish a US Open in double digits under par (12 under) and played the final 26 holes without a bogey.
1992
Winner: Tom Kite
(19 tour wins, 1 major)
Score, margin: 285, 2 shots
Runner-up: Jeff Sluman
Summary: Kite closed with a par 72, including two unlikely birdies. Vicious wind and firm turf turned the final round into a battle, but Kite chipped in for birdie on the par-3 seventh and made a 30-foot birdie on the par-3 12th to take the lead.
1982
Winner: Tom Watson
(39 tour wins, 8 majors)Score, margin:282, 2 shots
Runner-up: Jack Nicklaus
Summary: Watson was tied for the lead after three rounds, and 12 players were separated by four shots. Nicklaus ran off five birdies and joined a four-way tie for the lead. On the par-3 17th, Watson hit into the rough, but hit a perfect pitch and the ball dropped for a birdie in one of the most dramatic US Open shots at Pebble Beach.
1972
Winner: Jack Nicklaus
(73 tour wins, 18 majors)
Score, margin: 290, 3 shots
Runner-up: Bruce Crampton
Summary: Nicklaus had a one-shot lead going into the final round, when strong winds dried out the course. A gust nearly knocked Nicklaus off his feet during his swing on the tenth, and his drive wound up on the beach. He took a double bogey. Three shots ahead on the 17th, he hit a one-iron that stopped six inches away and he made birdie.
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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
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Book%20Details
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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
RESULTS
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $49,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner El Patriota, Vagner Leal, Antonio Cintra
7.40pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,000m
Winner Ya Hayati, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm Cape Verdi – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Althiqa, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Soft Whisper, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Bedouin’s Story, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company%20profile
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FORSPOKEN
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Suicide%20Squad%3A%20Kill%20the%20Justice%20League
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Final%20Fantasy%20XVI
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Street%20Fighter%206
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
