Rory McIlroy celebrated St Patrick’s Day in style by defeating JJ Spaun in a play-off to win the prestigious Players Championship for the second time.
McIlroy had finished tied at the top of the leader board with Spaun following Sunday's storm-hit final round after failing to hold on to a three-shot lead with five holes to play.
But after returning to the course on Monday in bright, breezy conditions, there was no sign of a repeat of the late stumble that had allowed Spaun to force his way into the first play-off of his career.
McIlroy covered the three-hole aggregate play-off in one over par, but that was comfortably enough to beat Spaun in a somewhat anticlimactic finish at TPC Sawgrass.
A two-putt birdie on the par-five 16th gave McIlroy a one-shot advantage after Spaun could only make par after finding rough off the tee and a bunker with his approach.
McIlroy then safely found the green on the treacherous 17th before Spaun, who looked unsure of his club selection in the windy conditions, flew his tee shot over the green into the water.
The resulting triple bogey effectively ended the American’s chances of a second PGA Tour victory, even though McIlroy surprisingly three-putted from 30 feet.
McIlroy also bogeyed the 18th but Spaun still had 10 feet left for his own bogey and did not complete the hole after McIlroy tapped in.
Following his victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, it means McIlroy has won twice on the PGA Tour before the Masters for the first time in his career.
“I'm really proud of my body of work. I turned pro in 2007 and my first season on the PGA Tour was in 2009. I've tried to get better every year and I feel like I'm continuing trying to do that,” said McIlroy.
“The younger guys coming out are getting better every single year and I need to keep working hard to hang with them. I'm doing a pretty good job of that. I feel like I've still got a few years left in the tank.
“I did it a different way this week,” he added. “I had to putt well. I needed to chip well. I saw way too much of the pine straw.
“But I feel if one part of my game isn't there, I have other parts to bail me out and it's a really nice feeling to have that in my golf game.”
The world No 2 needs a victory in the year’s first major championship at Augusta National to complete the career grand slam.
McIlroy had started Sunday’s final round four shots behind overnight leader Spaun, but followed a birdie on the first with an eagle from 10 feet on the par-five second after a superb long-iron approach from 230 yards.
He also responded to a bogey on the seventh with a birdie on the eighth and another birdie on the par-five 11th took him to 12 under, a shot ahead of Spaun, before play was suspended due to an approaching storm.
Following a four-hour delay, McIlroy established a three-shot lead after he birdied the 12th as Spaun dropped a shot on the 11th, but the Northern Irishman bogeyed the 14th before Spaun birdied the same hole.
Spaun also birdied the 16th to get back on level terms and almost won the title in regulation as his birdie attempt from 30 feet on the 18th pulled up just three inches short.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
LIKELY TEAMS
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
India (from)
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
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The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
More on Quran memorisation:
Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
MO
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Listen to Extra Time
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20specs
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yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
