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.”
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
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Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona 0
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Classification from Tour de France after Stage 17
1. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 73:27:26"
2. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Cannondale-Drapac) 27"
3. Romain Bardet (France / AG2R La Mondiale)
4. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana Pro Team) 53"
5. Mikel Landa (Spain / Team Sky) 1:24"
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Company%20Profile
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
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