ABU DHABI // Englishman Ian Poulter, having succumbed to Martin Kaymer on the final hole at the Abu Dhabi Championship yesterday, can take consolation from confirmation that his battling 20-under-par performance at the National Course sees him ranked in the world's top 10 for the first time in his career.
The 34-year-old missed a birdie putt on the 18th to finish yesterday on six-under, one stroke behind the two-time Abu Dhabi champion Kaymer.
Rory McIlroy finished in third place on 19-under, resulting in Poulter displacing the Northern Irishman as world No 10. "It's a nice start to the season," said Poulter, an eight-time winner on the European Tour. "If you're going to take the positives out though, I'm pretty frustrated that I've walked away shooting that score and I haven't won.
"It was a good day's golf; no bogeys and I played solid. It was a shame I just pulled my tee shot a bit on the last. But Martin's played well. He's played very solid, he was in front, shot six-under and that's always going to be hard to beat."
Poulter, who bases himself in Orlando and spends much of the year playing on the PGA Tour, says yesterday's leaderboard proves the European Tour is growing in strength.
"If you look at the world ranking position of the guys in the top 50 from Europe, I think they are pushing a lot of weight right now," he said. "It bodes well for the Ryder Cup and, if some of the rookies can make the side, that gives Colin [Montgomerie] less of a headache. It's going to be a fun September and October."
McIlroy for his part showed great potential and determination to keep fighting when it appeared a lost cause. Trailing the leader by three strokes, birdies on the 15th and 17th sent the 20-year-old down the final stretch with a glimmer of hope and while an unlikely result was not to be, he says he is encouraged by the display in his first tournament of the new season.
"I gave it my best shot and it's not like I went out in the last group and shot level par," he said. "I went out and shot a really good score in the conditions and it just wasn't good enough. But Martin played great and he gave the crowd some pleasure, which is nice."
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
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The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
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The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
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Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
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Results
Catchweight 60kg: Mohammed Al Katheeri (UAE) beat Mostafa El Hamy (EGY) TKO round 3
Light Heavyweight: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) no contest Kevin Oumar (COM) Unintentional knee by Oumer
Catchweight 73kg: Yazid Chouchane (ALG) beat Ahmad Al Boussairy (KUW) Unanimous decision
Featherweight: Faris Khaleel Asha (JOR) beat Yousef Al Housani (UAE) TKO in round 2 through foot injury
Welterweight: Omar Hussein (JOR) beat Yassin Najid (MAR); Split decision
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Sallah Eddine Dekhissi (MAR); Round-1 TKO
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali Musalim (UAE) beat Medhat Hussein (EGY); Triangle choke submission
Welterweight: Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) beat Sofiane Oudina (ALG); Triangle choke Round-1
Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Saleem Al Bakri (JOR); Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Nawras Abzakh (JOR); TKO round-2
Catchweight 63kg: Rany Saadeh (PAL) beat Abdel Ali Hariri (MAR); Unanimous decision
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
All the Money in the World
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer
Four stars
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
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LOS ANGELES GALAXY 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 5
Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')