Colin Montgomerie is pushing the golf course he has designed in Bahrain as a future European Tour venue and sees it as the stage for an ideal preparation tournament for the $US10m (Dh36.7m) Dubai World Championship each November.
"I don't think it will be long before we have five tournaments in the Gulf region," Montgomerie said as he overlooked the driving range at the course named after him in Dubai.
"The existing three at the start of the year [Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai] have been joined by the exciting Dubai World Championship at the end of the year, so it's logical to have another one in this region leading up to it.
"Let's hope in the years to come we can fit in Bahrain. That would be perfect in my view."
Monty, one of Europe's most successful golfers despite never having won one of the four major championships, made no attempt to disguise his vested interest in taking his fellow professionals to Riffa Views, otherwise known as the Royal Course.
"This area is becoming a hotbed for golf and is already a global centre for other things and I expect the trend to continue. Now instead of having to go west for top golf to the United States, leading players are starting to go east. We have the richest tournament in the world here in Dubai."
Riffa Views reopened under a Montgomerie redesign in November with a cosmopolitan launch party. The former US Open champions Retief Goosen, of South Africa, and New Zealand's Michael Campbell along with the new Colombian prospect Camilo Villegas made up a first-footing fourball with Montgomerie. "We had a great time," the Scot said.
Monty is as proud of his Bahrain development as he is of The Montgomerie Dubai - TMD as it has become known. "Originally it was going to be called Emirates Hills but they thought Montgomerie had a nice ring to it and I'm glad they did."
He recalled the process of changing what he called a heap of stand into the 7,396-yard stretch of sporting terrain it has now become. "I was involved in the development of the course," he said. "We knew this was going to be a model to go forward."
He was brave enough to declare his dissatisfaction with the closing hole at TMD. "When I designed the 18th, the second lake in front of the green was not meant to be there," he said. "It is not just a lake it's a sea. It was meant to be a bunker. But we needed more irrigation so in went the lake."
@Email:wjohnson@thenational.ae
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
Baby Driver
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James
Three and a half stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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MANDOOB
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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
Company%20Profile
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A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
Company%20profile
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DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals