Tiger Woods takes a sand bunker shot during the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, on Feb 26 2009.
Tiger Woods takes a sand bunker shot during the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, on Feb 26 2009.

Woods bows out of Match Play



Tiger Woods said he had plenty to be pleased about on Thursday, despite a premature exit from the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. Speaking yesterday, he said: "I'm very pleased, actually, with the way I hit the golf ball. I didn't make enough birdies today. "I made some yesterday, I just didn't make enough today. But I hit the ball well the last two days and that's encouraging." South African Tim Clark, ranked 33rd in the world, ousted Woods 4 and 2 in the second round of the elite World Golf Championships event.

His steady play ? including six birdies with no bogeys over the 16 holes ? brought a swift end to Woods's first tournament in eight months, stretching back to the American's US Open triumph at Torrey Pines in June. In the wake of that victory, Woods had reconstructive surgery on his left knee, the rehabilitation period leading to the longest layoff of his professional career. Woods, whose wife gave birth to his son Charlie this month, returned amid a blaze of publicity on Wednesday, posting a 3 and 2 victory over Australian Brendan Jones.

Just how well his left leg held up over his two matches was another positive for Woods, even if his departure was deflating for all those who breathlessly awaited his return. "The way my leg feels after walking, and especially on this golf course going up and down the cart paths, especially down the cart paths, my leg feels pretty good," he said. "No pain at all," he added. "Zero." The 14-time major champion might also be pleased to know that his rivals still regard him warily ? even when they've just beaten him.

Pressed to evaluate Woods's game, Clark was reluctant. "I did feel like he hit some pretty good shots when he needed to," Clark said. "He certainly seems to be swinging at it pretty good." Further than that, Clark flatly refused to go. "I would hate to comment on that," he said. "I don't want to get him angry for the next time I play him, so I'm going to leave that one alone." Woods said he knew when he decided to defend his title here that the knockout nature of the format could spell an early end to his campaign.

"You can play well and go home," he said. "That is the nature of match play. You can play well and go home, and you can play poorly and advance. "I just happened to catch Tim playing really well, and I didn't make enough birdies to answer him." Woods said he hadn't yet decided where he would play next. Two Florida tournaments in March ? the WGC CA Championship at Doral and Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Invitational ? seem likely prospects as Woods prepares for the Masters on April 9 ? 12.

"I don't know yet," Woods said. *AFP

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

Florida: The critical Sunshine State

Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991. 

Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.

In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.

Uefa Champions League last 16 draw

Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur

Basel v Manchester City

Sevilla v  Manchester United

Porto v Liverpool

Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain

Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma

Chelsea v Barcelona

Bayern Munich v Besiktas

Sweet%20Tooth
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJim%20Mickle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristian%20Convery%2C%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus

To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.

The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.

SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land  once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.

But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.

RESULT

Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay:
 Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')

Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)

The specs

Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel

Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry

Power: 1877bhp

Torque: 2300Nm

Price: Dh7,500,00

On sale: Now

 

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

WWE Super ShowDown results

Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title

Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship

Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns

Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party

Randy Orton beats Triple H

Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley

Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal

The Undertaker beat Goldberg

 

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs

Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre

Power: 325hp

Torque: 500Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh189,700

On sale: now