2002 - Kevin Sutherland capped off a remarkable week by defeating Scott McCarron 1-up in the 36-hole final to win the World Match Play Championship at La Costa Spa and Resort. With the victory, Sutherland, whose previous best PGA Tour payday was $324,000 (Dh1.19 million) a year ago for a second-place finish at the Tucson Open, banked $1 million and greatly improved his chances of securing his first Masters invitation. “I just kind of hung in there and hit some great chips and putts and various other odd shots. You know, the last 18 holes, I was able to do some good things at the end,” Sutherland said. Sutherland worked hard for his big payday, hitting only 10 of 28 fairways, but atoned for his errant drives with his iron play and a steady putter.
Other important events
1656 - Spain declares war on England.
1783 - Spain recognises independence of United States.
1801 - Aleksandr P. Romanov becomes emperor of Russia.
1821 - Mexico declares independence from Spain.
1848 - French king Louis Philippe is overthrown by revolutionary citizens.
1920 - Nazi Party is organised in Germany.
1924 - Greece becomes a republic.
1945 - Egyptian Premier Ahmad Pasha is assassinated in parliament.
1946 - Juan Peron is elected to the first of three presidential terms in Argentina.
1979 - War between North and South Yemen begins.
1981 - Britain’s Prince Charles announces his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer.
1988 - Matti Nykanen becomes Winter Olympics’ first triple gold medalist.
1996 - Dubai Shopping Festival is officially inaugurated.
1997 - The world’s first liquefied natural gas exporting facility is inaugurated in Qatar.
2000 - Mayon, one of the Philippines’ deadliest volcanoes, erupts, forcing about 30,000 people to flee.
2004 - A 6.5-magnitude quake rocks northern Morocco, killing more than 550 people.
2005 - Somalis sing and shout to welcome President Abdullah Yusuf Ahmad as he makes his first trip home since his government-in-exile was formed last year.
2006 - Saudi Arabia forces foil suicide attack on oil complex.
2007 - Australia’s Matthew Hayden smashes fastest World Cup century against South Africa.
2008 - Raul Castro takes over from his brother Fidel Castro as Cuban President.
2013 - Regional African leaders sign a deal aimed at bringing peace and stability to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2014 - UAE’s Florence Nightingale Salma Al Sharhan dies at the age of 80 in Ras Al Khaimah.
2015 - UN climate panel chief Rajendra Pachauri steps down after sex harassment claims.
2016 - Concourse D opens at Dubai International Airport.
