South Africa’s Chris Williams won his first title in six years with a sudden death play-off victory at the inaugural Sharjah Senior Golf Masters on Saturday.
After Williams and England’s Gary Marks both completed their final rounds on 13-under par, the pair made the trip back to the 18th hole for the first of the play-off holes.
And one hole was all Williams needed to clinch the title, the South African producing a par following Marks’ bogey.
“Words fail me. After being eight years on the Tour and finally getting my second win after all these years is just amazing,” Williams said. “I’ve been playing well and scoring well in South Africa leading up to this event, playing in as many pro-ams as I could to keep my game sharp. So that gave me a lot of confidence before this week.”
Overnight leader James Kingston got off to a slow start but Williams, who had broken the course record with a 65 in the opening round, caught fire playing the front nine in just 32, which included a spellbinding run of birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie from the fourth to the seventh.
As Kingston continued to struggle for momentum on the second circuit of the nine-hole course, Marks seized the initiative, carding three birdies in a row from 13 to 15 to move into a share of the lead with Williams.
When Williams and Marks could not be separated, a play-off was needed to decide the champion.
Marks found the middle of the fairway with his tee shot, while Williams found the light rough on the left. Both players found the edge of the green with their approach shots, but while Marks knocked his putt around seven foot past and missed the return, Williams rolled his five feet past and sunk his follow up for par and victory.
“I got off to a great start today,” Williams said. “I was five under through seven holes and then Gary came back with three birdies on the back nine. But nothing is easy out here, you’ve got to work hard for these wins no matter where they are.”
Marks was understandably disappointed to end up empty-handed, but given his lack of golf in the close-season, he said he was pleased overall with his performance.
“I was thrilled to get in the play-off, it was obviously a sad way for it to end for me,” Marks said. “But it was much more than I could have hoped for coming to the tournament as I hadn’t been playing before this week.”
* Agencies
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Director: Neeraj Pandey
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Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Price, base: Dh315,000
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Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
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Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
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Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
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.
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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