When Adam Bresnu became the first Arab to make a cut at a Rolex Series event in Dubai two weeks ago, he said he hoped it would encourage aspiring golfers from the region.
The trickle-down effect might take a little while to really take hold, but it has given home hopefuls reason to be optimistic ahead of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship this week.
The event at the Royal Golf Club is one of six DP World Tour tournaments in the region across the course of 2025 – two in Dubai, and one each in Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Doha.
It goes to show the impact of Gulf nations on the sport has been vast since the Dubai Desert Classic was first staged 36 years ago.
While the drift of the sport towards the Middle East has been substantial, the emergence of players from the region has been slow. To illustrate the point, there are more tour events in the region than there are Arab players in the 132-player field for the Bahrain Championship.
Yaseen Le Falher secured a spot to play this week as the highest-ranked Bahraini in the Bahrain Amateur Open. He knows Bresnu, having met the Moroccan youngster at the Pan-Arab Golf Championship, and he says the successes of his fellow Arab amateur player have been inspiring.
“The gap between amateur and pro golf has got a lot slimmer in recent years,” Le Falher, 24, said. “It is still a big jump, because these guys play at that level week-in and week-out.
“You can see the gap is smaller with an amateur [Nick Dunlap at the American Express] winning on the PGA Tour last year.
“You see a lot more amateurs making the cut and it makes you think, if you are competing against these guys in amateur tournaments, and they are making the cut in these big pro events, it is definitely doable.
“There is no reason why it can’t be me this week.”
Much like Bresnu, who is a French-born Moroccan who splits his time between Paris, Rabat, and the USA, where he is at college, Le Falher is as much a citizen of the world as he is the region.
He is a French-born, Bahraini citizen of Algerian-heritage who went to university in the UK, before opting to study for a master’s degree back in Paris.
His parents moved to Bahrain three years before he was born. After 25 years they were granted Bahraini citizenship, and they are proud to represent the country in sport as a family. As well as himself in golf, Le Falher’s two sisters represent the country at swimming.
While Bresnu is the son of a golf coach, there is no pedigree for the sport in Le Falher’s family at all. He was given a plastic club as a present from his mum when he was three years old.
When he showed promise with that, he was taken along for golf lessons when aged seven to the new golf club that was being built in the centre of Bahrain.
So embryonic was the Royal Golf Club back then, his starter sessions took place at the Ritz Carlton instead as there was no driving range at the club.
Both the player and the course – which will be hosting major champions such as Patrick Reed and Padraig Harrington – have come a long way since.
“None of my family play golf so it has never been pushed on me,” Le Falher said. “It is just what I really enjoy doing.
“It has helped me once I moved on in terms of independence. Nobody is forcing you to play golf when you are living on your own. You have to have the self-motivation to play. The enjoyment of it is what gets me out playing golf.”
Le Falher has plenty of options to pursue as a career. He is finishing his master’s degree in finance in Paris, having previously studied aeronautical engineering at Durham University in the UK.
And a pro career in golf? Depending on how this week goes, that could start as soon as later this year. Whatever the future does hold for him in the game, he is hoping it can have a lasting effect on Bahrain golf, too.
“If I have a good week, with the juniors out here watching, they can see that if you play well enough in the amateur tournaments, you can get your spot in an event like this,” he said.
“If you do well, it can kick start your career then hopefully it inspires them to spend time working hard, practising and keep playing golf.”
Ali Al Kowari, another of the three Bahrainis in the field, is also making his tour debut. “I’m a bit nervous, I wouldn’t lie about this, but it is going to be a good experience playing in my first tournament like this,” Al Kowari said. “The biggest thing is having fun and learning.”
Al Kowari started out playing on a sand course when he was eight, after being introduced to the game by his dad. He gave up the game for three years to study, before returning to it last year.
He does not have thoughts about going professional at present but is instead focused on representing his national team. He hopes to make his compatriots proud this week.
“I am playing individually, but still I am playing as though I am representing Bahrain,” he said. “It is lovely playing in the name of Bahrain.
“It is my first time in a big tournament, but I have the advantage that this is my home course. It is always good being at home, among your friends and family. Making the cut in this tournament would be a huge push in my golf career.”
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
Winner: Miller’s House, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Kanood, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gervais, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Important Mission, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
The%20specs
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Dubai Women's Tour teams
Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
HAJJAN
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EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdinburgh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%204%20%3Cem%3E(unchanged)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBahrain%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2015)%3C%2Fem%3E%3B%20second%20daily%20service%20from%20January%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKuwait%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2016)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMumbai%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAhmedabad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColombo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202%20%3Cem%3E(from%20January%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMuscat%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cem%3E%20%3C%2Fem%3EMarch%201%3Cem%3E%20(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELyon%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBologna%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Emirates%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3
Danilo (16'), Bernardo Silva (34'), Fernandinho (72')
Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ulloa (20')
RESULTS
Cagliari 5-2 Fiorentina
Udinese 0-0 SPAL
Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
Lazio 4-2 Lecce
Parma 2-0 Roma
Juventus 1-0 AC Milan
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
