SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin // With five of the last six majors won by first-timers, the days of the biggest names hoarding all the best titles may be over.
Ahead of the start of today's US PGA Championship, players like Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen and America's Lucas Glover, who once only dreamed of hoisting a Claret Jug or Wanamaker Trophy, are now unassuming practice-round-partners-turned-major-champions.
"It's more tangible," said Padraig Harrington, who credits Michael Campbell, of New Zealand, with inspiring his major triumphs.
Two years after Campbell's victory at the 2005 US Open, the Irishman won the British Open, quickly followed by a second successive Claret Jug and the 2008 US PGA title.
"You need that familiarity. You had that in the 1980s when Seve [Ballesteros] started winning majors and other [European] players followed.
"Mentally, they could see that it could be done. It's the old story, once the record is broken, a lot of people can follow."
Of course, breaking through is a lot easier when Tiger Woods is playing like a mere mortal. With his personal life in turmoil, so is his game.
He has been stuck on 14 majors since the 2008 US Open, and arrived at Whistling Straits off the worst tournament of his career.
He beat just one player in the 80-man field last weekend, and shot a whopping 18-over 298 at Firestone - a course where he has won seven times.
"I'll be honest, the feeling in the locker room is slightly different," England's Paul Casey said, choosing his words carefully.
"With the way [Woods] played the past week, guys feel like this is wide open, and that's not a feeling that a lot of guys have had before.
"Graeme McDowell played tremendous golf at the US Open. So did Louis [Oosthuizen] playing his golf at the British Open. That, combined with the way Tiger played last week, I think guys now feel there are multiple possible winners this week. It's different. Not a feeling we've had in a while."
Woods could usually be counted on to win at least one major each season and, as recently as 2006, he won two of them.
Throw in Phil Mickelson, and the world's top two players combined to win six of the eight majors in 2005 and 2006. That is a formidable club for an up-and-comer to crash. But with every victory by a Glover or McDowell or Oosthuizen, the majors do not seem quite so daunting.
Glover was 71st in the world when he won the US Open at Bethpage Black. McDowell had to sweat out his exemption to the US Open before holding off Woods, Mickelson and Ernie Els at Pebble Beach. And Oosthuizen had made the cut at only one of his previous eight majors before winning at St Andrews.
"I think the days of no-names getting in contention on Sunday afternoon and backing up, it doesn't really happen anymore," McDowell said. "Guys only have forward gears now, as opposed to anything else. Guys are not scared anymore."
As if there was any doubt, McDowell turned to some unlikey sources for inspiration on last day at Pebble Beach, when Woods, Mickelson and Els - multiple major winners - were chasing him.
"YE Yang, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson - I was taking some belief from those guys doing it," McDowell, the first European in 40 years to win the US Open, said, rattling off a list of first-timers. "There's no doubt, it has a knock-on effect."
So who's next? Rory McIlroy is always a popular choice. McDowell's fellow Northern Irishman tied the major-championship record with a 63 in the first round at the British Open, only to blow up with an 80 on the Friday afternoon. But the 21-year-old player showed his mettle, closing with 69 and 68 to finish in a tie for third.
There's Ryo Ishikawa, the Japanese phenom who earlier this year shot a 58, the lowest score ever on a recognised tour.
Casey's run at becoming the first Englishman since Sir Nick Faldo to win the British Open might have disappeared in a gorse bush, but his tie for third at St Andrews shows he is as dangerous as he was last summer, when he climbed to No 3 in the world before being sidelined by a rib injury.
Hunter Mahan is fresh off a win at Firestone. And do not forget about local favourite Steve Stricker, whose steady consistency has him in position to claim the world No 1 ranking - although he needs help from Mickelson and Woods.
"Anyone that tees off in any of these events can win it," Oosthuizen said. "I just think it's getting to a stage where you can have, in the majors, different winners all the time."
All that being said, no one is about to rule out Woods or Mickelson. Woods's debacle at Firestone allowed him to put in some extra time at Whistling Straits, and he sounded genuinely excited on Tuesday about the progress he has seen in his game.
Mickelson may have stumbled in his opportunities to claim the world No 1 slot, but those struggles were put in a different light after he revealed on Tuesday that he has psoriatic arthritis, which causes his immune system to attack his joints and tendons.
Mickelson first felt symptoms five days before the US Open, and experienced such intense pain he could not walk. Medication has brought the illness under control, and Mickelson said there will be no long- or short-term negative effects on his health.
This major free-for-all may be maddening for fans who have got used to having to worry about only a handful of players. But rather than seeing it as a sign the game is in disarray, McDowell said it is a celebration of golf's strength.
"We have such a wealth of talent all over the world - from Asia, from Europe, from the British Isles, from America," McDowell said. "It's just strong right now, the sport, and I think long may it continue."
* Associated Press
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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THE%20SPECS
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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.”
Company%20Profile
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
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Super Bowl LIII schedule
What Super Bowl LIII
Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams
Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Company%20Profile
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Company%20profile
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