The Masters begins on Thursday, only 144 days since the delayed 2020 event in November.
We look at some of the main talking points heading into the season’s first major, at Augusta National.
Can world No 1 Dustin Johnson hold onto the Green Jacket?
The defending champion’s quest to go back-to-back in the shortest Masters turnaround doesn’t necessarily bode well. History doesn’t particularly favour him. Only three golfers have retained the Green Jacket – Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods – proving just how difficult a feat it is to hold on to that coveted garment. Maybe it’s the pressure of hosting Tuesday’s Champions Dinner. What’s more, of the past 19 defending champions, only four have recorded a top-10 finish the following year.
Johnson's win in November came on a much softer Augusta National, which suited the big-hitting world No 1 perfectly - his 20-under par represented the tournament record - while he was in red-hot form at the time. However, after reigning supreme in Saudi Arabia in January and finishing tied-8th in Los Angeles, Johnson has struggled in his past three outings: Sunday's tied-28th in Texas is his best result. He's a two-time major winner seemingly set on adding to that haul. Only perhaps not this week.
Will resurgent Jordan Spieth go back-to-back on his trusty track?
Victory on Sunday at the Texas Open ended a remarkable drought for Spieth that stretched all the way back to his Open triumph in 2017. The winless streak, which began immediately following his third major title - by age 23 - clocked in at a remarkable 1,357 days. After a missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January, the former world No 1 was ranked a wayward 92nd. However, since then he has been superb: Spieth has racked up a win and four top-five finishes in his past seven starts.
And Masters pedigree? Well, he was tied-2nd in 2014, won it the next year, then came home tied-2nd in 2016. There was tied-11th the following year, and third in 2018, before his form blew up. One, sizeable, caveat, though: only two golfers have succeeded at Augusta National after winning the week before, the most recent being Phil Mickelson, in 2006. Still, it's worth remembering, Spieth prevailed the week before the 2017 Open.
Has Rory McIlroy’s Grand Slam quest come too early amid reset?
Another trip down Magnolia Lane, another chance for McIlroy to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Nicklaus and Woods in completing the career grand slam. However, the four-time major champion comes into Augusta out of form and apparently out of synch. He hasn’t won since the HSBC-Champions 17 months ago, while he has three top-10s and two missed cuts in eight starts since his tied-5th at the Masters in November. He ranks now at world No 12.
Caused in part by a Bryson DeChambeau-induced pursuit of speed and even more distance, it prompted McIlroy to begin working last month with renowned instructor Pete Cowan. Is that partnership too nascent to reap rewards this week? McIlroy has three top-fives and three more top-10s in his past seven Masters – although he disappointed in the final group in 2016 and 2018. Also, a decade has passed since he surrendered a final-round, four-shot lead, eventually shooting 80. Almost seven years without a major is too long for someone of McIlroy’s unquestionable talent.
Will trailblazing Bryson DeChambeau walk the walk this time around?
Undoubtedly, DeChambeau was the story going into the last Masters in November. He had only recently muscled his way to an awe-inducing six-shot victory at the US Open, giving golf’s great game-changer a first major and ample vindication for his unique approach. He then rocked up at Augusta, made a mockery of yardages during practice and quickly declared the course a par 67 (it’s 72). Come game-time, though, DeChambeau faltered, finishing in a tied for 34th (his best round was 69, on Saturday).
However, he remains a fascinating character, and a pretty fantastic golfer, too: DeChambeau won the last month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, then came home third at the Players Championship after going out in the final pairing. Make no mistake, he can still overpower Augusta, while his accomplished short game often gets overlooked. In form and in possession of more tools than most, it wouldn’t surprise to see the American “scientist” squeeze his hulking frame into the Green Jacket. Whatever happens, it'll be worth the watch.
How will returning Brooks Koepka fare after recent surgery?
Last month, Koepka posted a picture on his social media on crutches with his right knee wrapped in bandages. Understandably, the four-time major champion's Masters participation appeared in serious jeopardy. Then he showed up on course on Sunday. Few players possess Koepka's self-assuredness so, not only has the former world No 1 reportedly recovered sufficiently to compete, but he's eyeing another major crown. "If I knew I was going to finish second, I wouldn't have shown up," said the American, with typical hubris.
Injury aside, Koepka has performed well at Augusta of late: he was runner-up in 2019 and then tied-7th last November. And his two most recent tour starts? A win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February - his first in 19 months as injuries took their toll - and second at the WGC-Workday Championship. But then he slipped and fell, dislocating his kneecap and damaging ligaments. Given his mighty mental fortitude, maybe traipsing Augusta National's rolling hills will prove Koepka’s greatest challenge this week.
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THE%20SPECS
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Saturday, July 8
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court (4pm)
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Timea Bacsinszky (19)
Ernests Gulbis v Novak Djokovic (2)
Mischa Zverev (27) v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 (4pm)
Milos Raonic (6) v Albert Ramos-Vinolas (25)
Anett Kontaveit v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Jared Donaldson
Court 2 (2.30pm)
Sorana Cirstea v Garbine Muguruza (14)
To finish: Sam Querrey (24) leads Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 6-5
Angelique Kerber (1) v Shelby Rogers
Sebastian Ofner v Alexander Zverev (10)
Court 3 (2.30pm)
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Dudi Sela
Alison Riske v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
David Ferrer v Tomas Berdych (11)
Court 12 (2.30pm)
Polona Hercog v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Gael Monfils (15) v Adrian Mannarino
Court 18 (2.30pm)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Lesia Tsurenko
Petra Martic v Zarina Diyas
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs
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MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammed Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Saeed Ahmed, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Muhammed Jumah, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
