Judged by his mellow on-course demeanor at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, it would be easy to think Aadam Syed was a seasoned tour pro. Either that, or he was just mates with everyone at the course.
The Royal Golf Club in Riffa is unique in that many of the holes require players to get a lift. Between the 10th green and the 11th tee box, for example, volunteers in buggies are on hand to drive the players the sizeable distance, across terrain that includes pipelines which split the course in half.
When Syed took his place in the passenger seat at the start of his first round on a crisp and damp Thursday morning, it was as if he was meeting up with old pals. He enquired as to how the buggy drivers were doing, and what they made of the cold weather.
Seeing as he sealed entry to this event by winning the Bahrain Amateur Open around this same course, it might be assumed he knows the place well, and thus is on first-name terms with all the members.
Not so. The 24-year-old British Pakistani only dropped in to that tournament because it fitted in with his schedule and he wanted to stay sharp ahead of more pressing challenges to follow.
As it happens, he landed for his first visit to Bahrain and promptly won the tournament, the prize for which was being invited back to make his DP World Tour debut.
“I did know that was the prize, but I was going to Asian Tour Q School, and I just wanted to keep sharp and play tournaments,” Syed said.
“Logistically, this tournament was halfway between the UK and Thailand, so I signed up. It was my first time in Bahrain, luckily had a good week, and here I am today.
“It is playing a lot different this week because of the tournament. The rough is a lot bigger and it is a lot harder.”
Qualification for the Bahrain Championship has meant sharing a range and putting green with some of the stars of the DP World Tour.
“I was definitely nervous, but I know that I play my best golf when I keep it as relaxed as possible,” he said.
“Having my dad on the bag helped keep it that way. We just had fun out there, and tried to keep it as relaxed as possible.”
Another effect of winning that Bahrain Amateur Open has been to delay Syed’s move into the ranks of professional golf. That might have happened far sooner, were it not for an untimely injury.
He graduated from the University of Tampa in 2022, by which point he planned to go pro. His progress was stunted, though, by a broken wrist sustained in a scooter accident in his final year at college.
The best part of three years later, he feels he is finally fit and ready to make the leap. After this week on the DP World Tour, he is eyeing opportunities on the Asian Development Tour and the Clutch Pro Tour in England.
He is from Hayes in the UK, but represents Pakistan, where his family are from. His father, Syed Hussain, who has been on the bag in Bahrain, does live up to the Pakistani stereotype given that his first love was cricket. But it is he who is to thank for introducing his son to golf.
“When I was born, my dad had just started playing golf, having played cricket when he was growing up,” Syed said.
“Cricket is his sport, but when I was younger I was quite chubby, so he didn’t bother putting me into cricket. I went to the golf course and guess I had a talent for it. I have stuck with it.
“I played cricket at school. The problem with that was, because I played a lot of golf early [in my life] and was playing competitions at a national level and an early age. But batting is so bad for your golf swing.
“I was also pretty fat, so I wasn’t fast at bowling, so dad put me out of that.”
While some things don’t change – he retains an interest in cricket, but golf has remained his primary love – others are vastly different. Syed’s lithe frame bears no reminders of the chubbiness to which he refers.
He is treading a scarcely used path as a Pakistani golfer. Ahmed Baig, a 26-year-old from Lahore, is another tour player from there, but Syed acknowledges there have not been many.
I played cricket at school. The problem with that was, because I played a lot of golf early [in my life] and was playing competitions at a national level and an early age. But batting is so bad for your golf swing.
Aadam Syed
“When I was growing up there was only a few brown faces,” Syed said. “There was Jeev Milkha Singh and a lot of good Indian players, but not many Arab players or Pakistani players.
“In a dream scenario I would be one of those role models for this generation.”
Given he is just at the start of his journey, he does not have any stated grand ambitions. But when the idea of perhaps one day representing Pakistan in golf at an Olympics is put to him, he likes the sound of it.
“It is every sportsperson’s dream to play in the Olympics. I have not thought that far ahead, but hopefully that could be on the cards if I continue to improve and get better at golf.
“Those appearances will come as long as you get better, that is how I look at it.”
More appearances among the household names of the tour might also serve to settle some of the nerves he has felt in Bahrain.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about whether you belong at this level,” Syed said.
“But throughout the week whenever I was on the range I was thinking to myself, ‘They are just human beings, too. They hit bad shots on the range, they hit bad shots on the course.’
“I never felt out of place, and I took confidence from that, and also, the guys I was playing with [China’s Zihao Jin and Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen] are the same age as me.
“Even though they are pros, I backed myself. I think you have to.”
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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MATCH INFO
BRIGHTON 0
MANCHESTER UNITED 3
McTominay 44'
Mata 73'
Pogba 80'
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
