Having played six times in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Tiger Woods has alighted for a debut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championshp, christening his 2012 season with fresh confidence and hope.
"It's been quite a few years since I've been physically fit," he said Tuesday at a press conference at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, pronouncing himself ready to "give it a full season, which I haven't done in a while."
Asked for the last January he felt this fit, he said, "I don't know, probably eight, 10, 12 years ago."
He said he had followed a bit of the cricket even as a "baseball guy," knowing just enough to call it a "batsman's paradise here."
Woods chose Abu Dhabi over Dubai – and over his American haven of Torrey Pines near San Diego – for three reasons, he said. For one, "The guys who have played here have said these wonderful things." For another, he repeatedly brought up HSBC's support of his foundation through the years.
"And," he said, "I've tried to make it a requisite" to play fresh events. "This is a new event for me. This is exciting for me. This is an incredible field that they've assembled here."
The field includes the top four players in the world, 11 of the top 25 and Woods himself at No. 25, off a win in December at a tournament he hosts in California which, while unofficial tour-wise, marked his first tournament victory in two years.
Asked if appearance fees, unavailable on the US tour, factor into such decisions, he replied, "I'd have to say yes. It certainly does."
Woods could receive as much as US$3million (Dh11,018m) for playing in the tournament.
cculpepper@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (rated 72-87) Dh 165,000 1,600m.
Winner: Syncopation, George Buckell, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Big Brown Bear, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,200m.
Winner: Stunned, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap (85-105) Dh 210,000 2,000m.
Winner: New Trails, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
9.25pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,600m.
Winner: Pillar Of Society, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Dubai Women's Tour teams
Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
