FOOTBALL | Page 3 GOLF | Page 5 Conte all Hull wins title To Advertise here praise for while Ariya, Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 ‘ruthless’ Chun take Diego Costa LPGA awards Tuesday, November 22, 2016 FORMULA ONE Safar 22, 1438 AH Title-chasing GULF TIMES Hamilton admits ‘odds’ against him SPORT Page 5 GOLF/ QATAR LADIES OPEN DGC all set to host its fi rst ever Ladies European Tour event ‘It’s always great to have new tournaments but to me it’s extra special playing in Qatar. Being an Arab country, it feels a bit like home. I’m really excited to represent Morocco here and mostly I’m really proud to be representing Arabs in general. I am looking for a top ten finish here. I like this course; it’s the type of course I enjoy playing on’ By Sports Reporter Doha istory will be made at the Doha Golf Club tomorrow when the picturesque course plays host to Qatar’s fi rst ever Hwomen’s professional golf event, the Qatar Ladies Open, with some of the best players on the tour in attendance. Women’s golf’s emerging stars like India’s Aditi Ashok, England’s Georgia Hall and Maha Haddioui of Morocco, the fi rst Arab woman golfer to make the European Tour, will be among the 108 players who will compete for the €500,000 prize fund in the inaugural Ladies European Tour (LET) event in Qatar, which runs till Saturday. The full fi eld event is the third LET event in the Middle East, after the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi, and is expected to inspire and empower local women players while leaving a lasting legacy on the growing golf scene in the region. “We feel really proud to host the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open in Doha. This will be one of the most important international women’s golf tourna- ments, and we hope it will help ce- ment Qatar’s position as a leading golf destination whilst also fostering par- ticipation and growing the success of our own players. We are pleased to be co-operating with the LET,” said Fahad Fahad Nasser al-Naimi (third from left), General Secretary of Qatar Golf Association, and Mohamed Faisal al-Naimi (second from right), Executive Director of QGA, with Ladies European Tour professionals Nasser al-Naimi, General Secretary of Aditi Ashok (right), Maha Haddioui (second from left), Georgia Hall (centre) and LET Tournament Director and Technical Manager Michael Wood at the Doha Golf Club yesterday. PICTURE: Anas al-Samaraee the Qatar Golf Association. Aditi, from the southern Indian city career when she witnessed Laura Dav- ferent every day. Accuracy and control abs in general. I’m looking for a top ten but you get some reachable par 5s so dies Scottish Open), Nanna Koerstz of Bangalore, is coming here fresh off ies and Gwladys Nocera compete at the will be the key to success on this course. fi nish. I like this course; it’s the type of it’s a bit of a risk reward course. The Madsen from Denmark (Tipsport Golf her maiden win at last week’s Hero 2007 EMAAR-MGF Ladies Masters in I hope I can keep my winning momen- course I enjoy playing on.” course is in great shape, and the setup Masters) and Nuria Iturrios from Spain Women’s Indian Open, the fi rst Indian her home city, said. tum going this week too,” added Aditi. England’s Hall is the in-form player is brilliant. I think I am playing really (Lalla Meryem Cup). player to win on the Ladies European The Indian teenager, considered Haddioui, the fi rst full-time Arab here, having fi nished tied-third, fourth well at the moment. I just need to stay The more experienced competitors Tour. Naturally, she’s brimming with one of the longest hitters in the game, golfer on the LET who represented and second in her last three tourna- patient and hopefully a win is around in the fi eld who could upset the apple- confi dence. felt the DGC course fairways were a Morocco at the Olympic Games, said: ments, and currently lies fourth on the the corner for me,” Hall said. cart include Florentyna Parker, who is “The fi rst win is always the hardest, bit short. “That makes it all the more “It’s always great to have new tourna- LET Order of Merit. She shot a brilliant There are fi ve recent tournament ranked fi fth on the Order of Merit after so now that baggage is off my back, I tricky, and the strong wind can actually ments but to me it’s extra special play- 64 at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies winners in the fi eld, with the addition six top-10 fi nishes in 2016, LET Life feel much more confi dent. This is my make it tough if you hit a bit wide. I have ing in Qatar. Being an Arab country, it Open in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, of Anne Van Dam from the Nether- Members Dame Laura Davies and Trish fi rst time in Doha but the conditions only played the front nine since I’ve feels a bit like home. I’m really excited which was a course record, and hopes lands (Xiamen International Ladies Johnson, Gwladys Nocera and Swedish and the course look great,” the 18-year- been here but I think it’s a challenging to represent Morocco here and mostly to carry the momentum here. Open), Isabelle Boineau from France Solheim Cup partners Anna Nordqvist old, who was inspired to take golf as a course and with the wind it’ll play dif- I’m really proud to be representing Ar- “The course is slightly short for me, (Aberdeen Asset Management La- and Caroline Hedwall. TENNIS Murray to take aura of invincibility into new year Reuters tween 2008 and 2012. chine while Djokovic, so often the Sunday and he was talking about his London Individually, Michael Schumacher Scot’s master during their career-long December training camp and Janu- had it while winning seven Formula rivalry, appeared lightweight and un- ary’s Australian Open where Murray One drivers titles, as did squash great sure of himself. will start as favourite to win a fourth orget the latest addition to Jahangir Khan who was unbeaten be- Murray duly won 6-3 6-4 and, Grand Slam. Andy Murray’s creaking tween 1981 and 1986. Jamaican sprint- despite a late Djokovic fi ghtback, Former world number one John trophy cabinet, the $2.4mn er Usain Bolt exudes it every time he played like he knew the outcome was McEnroe, another player who at his cheque and the adulation of a steps on to his blocks. never in doubt. peak in the 1980s had opponents Fnation, the most signifi cant upshot of Murray knows only too well the de- “There was no serious chance for me cowed before battle, said Murray will his ATP World Tour Finals victory over bilitating eff ect it can have on oppo- to win today’s match.” Djokovic said. be well aware that aura, so long in the Novak Djokovic is the aura it brings. nents. He has played and suff ered in “From the very beginning we could see making, can vanish quickly. Murray, the new king of men’s ten- an era graced by Roger Federer, Rafael that. He was just a better player all in all.” “Murray is an amazing athlete. He’s nis, will take that rare commodity Nadal and Djokovic who, at various Murray, 29, is undefeated since Sep- going to try to take advantage of this which few achieve in sport into the new times over the past decade, have had tember, has won 24 matches in suc- time because it’s limited, we all know season in spades. rivals mentally beaten before a point cession and his win-loss record since that,” the American told the BBC. It is an unquantifi able weapon and was even played. losing to Djokovic in the French Open Djokovic will need no reminding. one that can sustain lengthy periods It looked that way on Sunday when fi nal is 53-3. “If you had told me six months of dominance even when form is fi ckle. Murray, exhausted after his epic semi- In the last week of the season he ago that this would even be an is- Scroll through the annals of sport fi nal victory over Milos Raonic when he beat world number fi ve Kei Nishiko- sue, I would have said you’re crazy,” and there are some striking examples. saved a match point, walked on court ri, number four Stan Wawrinka and McEnroe said of Djokovic’s sudden Steve Waugh’s Australian cricket to face Djokovic in a showdown for the number three Milos Raonic before vulnerability. team had it, winning 16 consecutive end-of-year number one spot. swatting aside second-ranked Djokovic “At some point you’re going to hit a Tests between 1999 and 2001, so too Dressed in his now familiar mili- with an ease bordering on contempt. wall of some kind, But when it comes, have various New Zealand rugby un- tary-grade kit and industrial-strength And the iron-willed Murray is un- people are surprised, but it always ion sides. Spain’s national soccer team footwear, the granite-calved Mur- likely to relent. happens. You just don’t know how long achieved an aura of invincibility be- ray looked like an indestructible ma- The sweat had barely dried on it will last.” Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, November 22, 2016 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT WORRY Misfi ring Bayern under Homecoming king pressure in Russia Ronaldo eyes File picture of Bayern Munich’s midfielder Thomas Mueller (R) and European century goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.