Adam Bresnu will have had plenty of time on the flight from Dubai to Texas to think about his week’s work. And maybe to ponder whether it was, in fact, all a dream.
Playing a practice round with Jon Rahm. Teeing it up at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the pioneering golf event for the Middle East. Becoming the first Arab to make a cut at a Rolex Series event. Matching Adam Scott stroke for stroke on moving day. Getting 200 extra followers in a day on Instagram.
If he is covered in bruises by the time he returns to class at Odessa College, then it might be from pinching himself all the way home. But, yes, it really did happen.
“A guy like me, 20 years old, I think a lot of people would love to have my place right now,” said Bresnu, who was due to fly back to the United States on Monday.
“I was just super happy to be that person. It is just the beginning. I have to work more. I know what I can do now. In a few months, maybe a few years, hopefully I will have the potential to win a Rolex Series or DP World Tour event.”
Bresnu’s history-making trip back to the region came about because of a sponsor’s invite. He had only ever been to the UAE once before, when he played at an event at Al Zorah in Ajman.
Fair to assume the field in Dubai might have packed slightly more of a punch than the one of his first appearance in the country, what with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Rahm, Scott, and a host of other household names being present.
Maintaining his poise in such vaunted company was a credit to him, but there is a reason he might not have felt distracted by all the stardust at Emirates Golf Club. After all, he had recent experience to call on of rubbing shoulders with the sport’s great and good.
Last month in King Abdullah Economic City near Jeddah, he finished in a tie for sixth at the PIF Saudi International. He shared that position with respected tour pros like Thomas Pieters and Branden Grace.
The 267 strokes he took at that event was just two more than Tyrrell Hatton, the eventual Desert Classic champion, used. Major champions Louis Oosthuizen and Patrick Reed, meanwhile, were further back down the leaderboard.
From the heady heights of that competition in Saudi Arabia, to his bright showing in Dubai, Bresnu is becoming a trailblazer.
He said becoming the first Arab to make a Rolex Series cut "was one of my goals. I just wanted to make history. I made it a month ago in Saudi Arabia when I finished sixth in the PIF Saudi International. Making the cut here is a big thing.
“I had so many calls. I was like, please leave me alone, I want to sleep. But that was nice. My goal is just to show the world that Arab players, we have the potential and we have the talent.
“Now it's only a question of time. I'm sure you'll have kids playing on the tour - for sure. I'm really happy what I did, and also for the next generation.”
He hopes he can be an inspiration for that next generation of players from the Mena region, and Morocco in particular.
“In golf, it is only a question of confidence,” he said. “If they [aspiring players in Morocco] see me making the cut, and playing well, they might think, ‘Well, I beat that guy a couple of times, so I can make it’.
“It is a good thing. It will give them confidence. Having more confidence means playing good. Playing good means more players on tour, and that is one of the [Moroccan golf] federation’s goals – to have more players on tour.”
Bresnu is from Paris, where he was taught the sport by his dad, who is a golf coach. His mother is Moroccan, and he has spent much of his life between France and Rabat.
“I just loved it,” he said of his first impressions of the sport. “At 10 years old, I was good at golf and I thought, ‘Maybe let’s try to make it’.
“That was my goal. On every vacation I made to Morocco, I was looking at what the federation was doing. They were doing an amazing job with all the players because in Morocco it is not that easy to play golf.
“There are a lot of nice golf courses, but when you want to play at the high level, you need the money. Morocco [golf federation] helps a lot the young kids.
“Some of the best kids come from nothing. It gives them hope for the future and a chance to make it. I think that is amazing.”
Bresnu realises golf has its work cut out to make a dent in football’s market share in Morocco. He points out it is embedded in Moroccan sporting culture, and acknowledges he loves football himself.
He has fond memories of teaming up with his cousin as a child in Rabat and challenging teams from other neighbourhoods, with Dh5 at stake.
“In Morocco, people love football. It is part of the culture,” he said. “There is a cliché about golf that it is for rich, old people.
“It is hard to play, so people don’t really know golf. But if you don’t know a sport, you can’t judge it. It is hard to make golf famous in Morocco, except with TV and media, or being famous on social media.”
He was thrilled to see his Instagram following grow in Dubai, but he is well aware he is not a star yet. He does show signs of being a player of substance according to Scott, though, the former Masters champion who was Bresnu’s third-round playing partner in Dubai.
“I think the info filtered down to juniors and college players is really good, and if you told me he was a pro, I wouldn’t be surprised either,” Scott said of his young namesake.
“It was probably a great experience for him playing this week in a big event. It is huge. I remember when I got a start in the Benson and Hedges [International Open] at The Belfry. It was big event back in the day. I played with Jose Maria [Olazabal] on the Saturday, and they are lasting impressions.
“You learn a lot out of it. What I learnt the most from the first time playing with my heroes in the game was that they didn’t do everything perfect.
“That was an eye-opener for me. When you are a kid, you think everything has to be perfect but it’s not. They don’t hit every shot well, yet manage to shoot in the 60s. And when you are off [as a young amateur], you are shooting in the high 70s.
“There is a learning curve there. It was fun to play with him.”
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Results
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
SPECS
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
