Ladies European Tour Concludes in Dubai With a Chinese Win

The Ladies European Tour has ended its season with the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai,UAE.American Lexi Thompson yielded her title to China's Shanshan Feng on Sunday and her final round 21 under par 69.Dewi Claire Schreeful of the Netherlands was second with a 16 under par 69;third place on the leader board was shared by Caroline Masson of Germany and Becky Brewerton of Wales.
Carlota Ciganda of Spain won the Handa Order of Merit for the season with her earnings total of 251,289.95 euros.She was also named Rookie of the Year.
The tournament was played out against the looming backdrop of the ultramodern skyline of the desert city.
Following her win,Swiss watchmaking titan Omega named Feng a brand ambassador,adding her to a list including Greg Norman,Sergio Garcia and Michelle Wie.Fiancial terms were not disclosed.
In a statement,Omega said it is proud that this outstanding competitor,whose smile lights up every course she plays on,has joined its family of golfing brand ambassadors.The brand looks forward to celebrating with Shanshan Feng each time she adds to her already impressive list of victories and achievements on the golf course.
Besides Omega,tournament sponsors included Gulf News,Drydocks World,Maritime World,Mercedes Benz,Emirates NBD and CNN.

European Golf:Rory Takes DP World Trophy and Scepter

Rory McIlroy fought off effects of desert heat on Sunday to win at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai,UAE.The culmination of the season-long Race To Dubai was held on the Earth Course at the Jumeirah Golf Estates.Northern Ireland's McIlroy posed in his red polo shirt with the huge trophy and scepter he was awarded for topping the tournament field.
McIlroy finished with a final round 23 under par 66,followed by England's Justin Rose in 2nd,and South Africa's Charles Schwartzel and England's Luke Donald  sharing 3rd on the leader board,respectively.
McIlroy's golden season included a money list double,dominating earnings on both the European and PGA Tours,as well as a victory at the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta.It's a great way to finish a great season,McIlroy said.I feel like I can improve in different areas of the game still.
McIlroy related that he felt ill for a few days.The desert sun got to him,but he took a few things for it and soldiered on,notching five consecutive birdies on the final holes,as witnessed by a substantial crowd of hardy fans.
Besides DP World,sponsors of the tournament included CNN;BMW;and Rolex.Jumeirah Golf Estates is comprised of two neighbourhoods,Fire and Earth,of European style villas in the New Dubai area,just beyond the skyline.The hilly topography surrounding the Estates suggests the Mediterranean.Existing villas are going for approximately 1.8-3.5 million dollars US.

Golf on the Gulf:The Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2011

Spaniard Alvaro Quiros overcame two triple bogeys to clinch victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates this past weekend.Quiros eagled the eleventh with a hole in one,giving him the momentum he needed to take home the trophy,an enormous Arabian teapot.He has won a tournament every year since 2007,among them the Qatar Masters in 2009.
Denmark's Anders Hansen and South African James Kingston were tied for second on the leader board.
The stubble-bearded Quiros got 558,376 euros for the win-that's about 755,307 U.S. dollars.Tournament sponsors included Emirates Air,Dubai Aluminium,Omega,CNN,Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts,Gulf News and Mercedes Benz.
The tournament was first held in 1989.Since then,the desert backdrop has been transformed by an impressive massing of skyscrapers in the heat haze.The Emirates GC course,where the tournament is held,has an extensive palm plantation for even more visual appeal.

Egypt Crisis Management:The Business Implications of Uprising

Businessmen with interests in the Middle East have been assessing what the Egypt revolt means to them.Mac McClelland of Center House Limited says we need to watch the Egyptian uprising very carefully,and be cognisant of the power plays.The strong Islamic tilt could affect how the new government takes effect in Egypt.There's a leadership vacuum.
The people were concerned about food,peace,prosperity,security and stability.Businesses are also concerned with that security and stability aspect.Our clients are concerned about protecting their brands and business continuity,Mr.McClelland noted.
Ken Moelis of Moelis&Company,which has an office in Dubai that advises the Dubai government on restructuring debt,observes that the rest of the region is acting as if this is an Egypt-specific event.For now,you're gonna see them stay pretty aggressive.The region is still doing business as usual.
A corporation can't see Egypt as a stock trade.You have to wait for more information,Mr.Moelis explained.

European Tour Ends In Dubai

The Dubai World Championship ended the golf year for the European Tour this past weekend.Only the heat reminded one it was a desert location.The Jumeirah Golf Estates Earth course has no sand to speak of-just the ordinary bunker sand.The rest of the course is grass,trees and wood chips,with a lake to cool things off visually.
Ironically,the golfer from the coldest country,Robert Karlsson of Sweden,did the best in Dubai,winning the tournament in a second playoff with England's Ian Poulter.Poulter faltered when his first shot landed in the wood chips.After a lackluster second shot,he then made an error when he dropped his ball on top of its marker,incurring a one-shot penalty.
It was Karlsson's 11th career victory and Sweden's 6th win of the season.Overall winner of the Race to Dubai,as the European Tour is also known,was Germany's Martin Kaymer.Karlsson was awarded a golden scepter for a trophy.
Sponsors of the tournament included DP World,Emirates Air and Rolex.
Jumeirah Golf Estates has an oasis ambiance,with grass and trees throughout the luxury development.There are four golf courses.

Dubai Fund Feeling Good

Ististhar,a Dubai sovereign wealth fund,has come through a tough period earlier in the year.CEO David Jackson described February-March as difficult.They had to sell some assets,as cash was needed elsewhere.Now we're feeling pretty good about the portfolio,Mr.Jackson said.Like everyone else,we're cautious now.We're making small,bolt-on acquisitions.We're holding on to Barneys stores.We believe in the brand,but luxury bands aren't fairly valued right now.
Dubai's projects,such as its palm islands development,are going forward.We're still alive and kicking,Mr. Jackson assures us.I have an excellent relationship with the sheikhs.At one point,everyone's job was on the line.I'm committed to preserving what we have in the portfolio,Mr.Jackson noted.
Dubai is one of the United Arab Emirates.The UAE is on the Persian Gulf,between Oman to the south,and Qatar to the north.

Dubai Firm Wins Contract

Prime Projects International,a company based in Dubai,one of the United Arab Emirates,has been selected to design and construct a prison on a U.S. air base.PPI is to receive 50 million dollars U.S. for the project.The prison will be built on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.It is to hold 1,000 prisoners.The U.S. military is also seeking an Islamic religion specialist for the prison.The specialist will minister to the prisoners and serve as a linguist/interpreter during emergencies.The prison won't be completed until 2009 at the earliest.

Financial Centres Appraised

The Global Financial Centres Index has been released.The index is based on a statistical model and the opinions of experts.Factors considered include excellence of access,skill level of staff,and proportionality of regulatory regime.The rankings were:1.London,2.New York,3.Hong Kong,4.Singapore and 5.Zurich.Dubai and Shanghai are centres to watch.Singapore is gaining on Hong Kong,and centres at the bottom,such as Moscow,are continuing to climb.