- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
McIlroy looking for 'control' as golf year tees off in Abu Dhabi
The start of a new golf year sees Rory McIlroy picking up his annual habit of making lists as he heads to Abu Dhabi but, unlike previous seasons, the Northern Irishman is not specifying potential tournament victories.
Instead McIlroy says he wants to be "more of a measured and a controlled golfer" as he begins the quest for a first major since 2014.
The former world number one, now ranked eighth, headlines a quality field at the Abu Dhabi Championship, which has moved to a new venue in Yas Links Abu Dhabi for the first time in 16 years.
McIlroy is not the highest ranked player in the field -- that honour belongs to the reigning European number one and world number two Collin Morikawa of the US.
Norway's world number seven Viktor Hovland is also in the field while Englishman Tyrrell Hatton returns to defend the title he won last year when it was played at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
McIlroy, though, with four majors to his name, is still the top draw.
The 32-year-old had a remarkable record at the old venue -- apart from one missed cut in 2013, his only finish outside the top five is a tied-11th place in his maiden appearance in 2008.
So a new venue will present a new challenge. The rhythm and the routine, however, remain the same.
Since turning professional, McIlroy has made a habit of starting his season in Abu Dhabi and some years ago he famously revealed how he liked jotting down his goals for the year on his boarding pass while travelling from Ireland to Dubai.
Travelling these days by private jet from his residence in Florida he no longer has a boarding pass -- but he still makes his list.
- 'Objective and measurable' -
Over the years, though, the nature of the goals has shifted from items that other players can affect to those that only he can control.
"I used to sit down on the flight here and write down, like, 'I want to win five times', 'I want to win a major', 'I want to win the Race to Dubai', 'I want to win the FedEx Cup'," said McIlroy.
"Of course I want to do all those things.
"I'd love to win six times in a season. I've never done that before," said McIlroy.
"All those things are great goals and they are things to try to work towards.
"But now I want to hit over 60 percent of my fairways. I want my proximity inside 150 yards to be a certain number. I want my strokes gained putting to be a certain number.
"I think having goals that are more objective and that I'm in control of, are more important.
"I can't control if I win five or six times a year. There are so many other variables in there. But I can certainly control if I hit 60 percent of the fairways.
"I can control that my stats are better than they were the year before.
"So, it's now about trying to set yourself goals that you can control, goals that are objective and measurable."
Towards the end of 2020, a year when he failed to win a single title, McIlroy tried to add more speed in his swing in a bid to emulate Bryson DeChambeau and gain further distance off the tee.
It did not agree with McIlroy, who returned to his usual swing speed in March 2021 and won two titles on the PGA Tour after that.
Choice of club is also a factor. McIlroy draws inspiration from 15-time major champion Tiger Woods who sometimes chooses not to use his driver at every instance.
"I'll certainly pick-and-choose my spots where I can take advantage of the driver and hit it," said McIlroy.
"But the best player of the last 30 years, Tiger, he picked and chose where he hit driver, and he played a very, very controlled game. It didn’t work out too badly for him."
M.Thompson--AMWN