NBA | Page 6 FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 3 Mavs Spain World To Advertise here edge Bulls, Cup winner Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 Spurs and Xabi Alonso to Raptors win retire in June Thursday, January 19, 2017 TENNIS Rabia II 21, 1438 AH Birthday girl GULF TIMES Kerber unwraps perfect present SPORT Page 11 GOLF SPOTLIGHT Thai stars Thongchai, Kiradech spearhead No McIlroy but Asian challenge at fi eld still strong CB Qatar Masters for Abu Dhabi ‘Obviously, Rory is a great player and no one wanted to see him pull out’ AFP Abu Dhabi orld No3 Dustin Johnson Kiradech and No4 Henrik Stenson Aphibarnrat will headline a quality of Thailand fi eld at the $2.7mn Abu WDhabi HSBC Championship, the open- ing leg of the Desert Swing of the Euro- pean Tour. The tournament gets under way today and will miss world No2 Rory McIlroy, who was scheduled to play before pulling out on Monday with a stress fracture in his ribs. But there are plenty of big names in fi eld, including Masters champion Danny Willett, defending champion By Sports Reporter tournament in its fi fth staging in 2002, Rickie Fowler and world No10 Alex Doha the year a 21 year old Adam Scott lifted Noren. the Mother of Pearl Trophy for a fi rst time American Johnson is the highest before claiming it again six years later. ranked player in McIlroy’s absence, but ight-time European Tour winner Thongchai was back in 2004 and has he was categorical in assessing that it Thongchai Jaidee will compete played every year since. In his 14 appear- did not make the tournament any eas- in the Commercial Bank Qa- ances, the evergreen Thai has fi nished in ier to win. Etar Masters for a 15th time next the top 40 on 13 occasions, including ties The US Open champion who is week, having last year tied India’s Jeev for ninth in 2007 and 2013. known for making quick starts to his Milkha Singh for the most appearances “I always like playing in the Com- seasons on the PGA Tour, said: “No, (14) by an Asian player. mercial Bank Qatar Masters. I have been if you look at the fi eld, it’s got a great For the third straight year, Thongchai playing there for a long time and always fi eld here. Obviously, Rory is a great Swedish star Henrik will be joined in the fi eld by young com- do pretty well.” said the former para- player and no one wanted to see him Stenson will aim to patriot Kiradech Aphibarnrat, his team- trooper, who only turned pro when he pull out, including myself.” break his Abu Dhabi jinx. mate in last year’s Olympics in Brazil and was 29. “I still think it’s going to be a great ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf in Aus- “It’s a nice course, quite long, and I tournament. It’s going to be very tough tralia. know it well after many years of playing to win.” Each will again bid to become the fi rst there so it would be nice to get another The 7,583-yard course has favoured Thai – and fi rst Asian – to win the Com- top 10 or even challenge for the trophy.” good drivers in the past, and that is the mercial Bank Qatar Masters, which cel- After winning back-to-back Malay- cornerstone of Johnson’s game. ebrates its landmark 20th edition at Doha sian Opens in 2004 and 2005, Thongchai And the American, who won three Golf Club from 26-29 January. won European Tour titles in Indone- tournaments in 2016 and recorded Three-time European Tour winner sia and Korea in 2009 at the age of 39. top-10 fi nishes in 15 of his 23 starts, SSP Chawrasia will also be part of the However, since turning 40, he has argu- was excited about his chances despite driving it pretty well right now, so even though he owns the course record “This year, we did skiing in Utah Asian charge, while Li Haotong of China ably played the fi nest golf of his career, making his debut in the Middle East. hopefully, we’ll have a good week.” in Abu Dhabi — 10-under par 62 in with the kids. I’m not sure if that and Wang Jeunghun of Korea – the two winning titles in Europe in 2012 (Wales), “I’ve played the front nine yester- Hoping to make it diffi cult for the the third round of the inaugural tour- helped my golf too much. I prefer to youngest players in last year’s Olympic 2014 (Sweden), 2015 (Germany) and 2016 day, so I like the front nine. I feel like American is Stenson, who was voted nament in 2006 — he is yet to get his keep my body a bit straighter when Men’s Golf Competition – and Wang’s (France). Kiradech, 27, is on his way to it’s set up well for me. We’ll just have the Swedish Male Athlete of the Year hands on the Falcon Trophy. we’re playing golf than skiing. compatriot Lee Soomin will make their emulating his famed compatriot. Like to see. But I feel like the game is in on Monday for his sensational 2016, in “I’ve had my chances here and its “But I’ve aired the clubs for the last tournament debuts. Thongchai, Kiradech won his fi rst Euro- pretty good shape right now, so I’m which he won the British Open and the not a secret how much I want to win week in Orlando before I headed out. It Team Qatar amateurs Saleh al-Kaabi pean title at the Malaysian Open, in 2013. looking forward to playing here,” said Race to Dubai, and was silver medallist this tournament. But for some reason was still getting airborne. It was going and Ali al-Shahrani will again represent Two years later, ‘Asia’s John Daly’ won the 32-year-old. “I feel like it’s pretty in the Olympics. or the other, I haven’t showed up here forward, and I managed to get some the host nation and will each seek to be- both the Shenzhen International in Chi- straightforward. You’ve got to drive Stenson has won the other two fully switched on. Either there’s been good putting sessions in, as well. Given come the fi rst local to make the cut in the na – where he beat Li in a playoff – and it straight. One of the keys obviously legs of the Desert Swing — the Dubai much to do over the break, or I have that I haven’t done that much, it still European Tour event. the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Matchplay is hitting it straight and I feel like I’m Desert Classic and Qatar Masters. And had some injury,” said Stenson. felt pretty good.” Thongchai, 47, fi rst competed in the in Scotland. BOTTOMLINE Asian champs Jeonbuk Hyundai disqualifi ed Reuters over United Arab Emirates team Manual for the AFC Club Com- Seoul Al Ain. petitions 2017-2020. The Asian Football Confed- “As such, Jeonbuk... was eration said the Entry Control deemed not to have met the eigning Asian club Body (ECB), a judicial inde- sporting criteria to participate champions Jeonbuk pendent body, has disqualifi ed in the AFC Champions League Motors of South Ko- Jeonbuk from the 2017 Asian 2017.” In May, prosecutors Rrea will be unable to Champions League, the conti- charged two referees in South defend their title over their nent’s premier club competi- Korea’s top league with accept- involvement in a 2013 bribery tion. ing bribes totalling 5mn won scandal, the continent’s soccer “... Jeonbuk Hyundai Mo- ($4,300) from a Jeonbuk Mo- governing body said yesterday. tors is ineligible to participate tors club scout, with three pay- Jeonbuk were docked nine in AFC competitions for the ments of 1mn won each made to points and fi ned $91,000 by the 2017 season due to its indirect one offi cial and two to the other. K League’s disciplinary com- involvement in activities aimed The scout was sentenced to a mittee in September for pay- at arranging or infl uencing the six-month suspended jail term ments a club scout made to ref- outcome of matches during the for bribery by the Busan Dis- erees in 2013. 2013 and 2014 K-League sea- trict Court. The club, who fi nished sec- sons,” the AFC said in a state- Korea’s Jeju United FC will ond in last season’s K League ment. take Jeonbuk’s place in Group Classic, were crowned cham- “Such indirect involvement H while Ulsan Hyundai will re- pions of Asia in November after was found to be in contraven- place Jeju in the playoff s for the sealing a 3-2 aggregate victory tion of Article 11.8 of the Entry 2017 AFC Champions League. Jeonbuk Hyundai players celebrate after winning the AFC Champions League last year, but have been disqualified from this year’s tournament. Gulf Times 2 Thursday, January 19, 2017 GOLF PREVIEW SPOTLIGHT Scott primed for Els praises Tiger for tilt at fourth raising the stakes AFP Els added. Singapore Golf has seen the emergence Singapore title of exciting young talent such as Justin Thomas, 23, and Hideki The smooth-swinging 36-year-old possesses the accuracy off the tee and short iger Woods’ return can Matsuyama, 24, during Woods’ only mean good things absence and they are challeng- game necessary to tame the Sentosa Golf Club’s fiendishly diff icult Serapong Course for golf which reaped ing the sport’s top echelons.