UAE teen golfer set to take game to new heights following trip to the States

For the past six weeks, UAE golfer Rayan Ahmed has travelled up and down the United States of America, testing his sublime game against some of the world’s greatest amateur golfers.

Ahmed, who has represented the UAE since last year, is one of the country’s finest players, which was evident when he became the first player from the UAE to qualify for the US Junior Amateur Golf Championship in the tournament’s 76-year history. A trip to the U.S. Junior PGA Championship was also in the diary during his six week visit to the States, while an even bigger prize awaited him when he was out there.

Not content with just qualifying for US Junior Amateur, Ahmed also booked his spot in the world’s most prestigious amateur tournament, the US Amateur Championship, after the youngster finished top of qualifying at Columbine Country Club.

The 2023 EGF Junior Order Of Merit winner was the youngest player in the field in Denver but belied his age to finish top of the pile with a round of 69, which included four birdies and one bogey, to become the first UAE representative in the elite event, which has been won by the likes of Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer.

While results didn’t necessarily go his way in the three aforementioned tournaments, with Ahmed missing the cut at the US Junior Amateur, US Junior PGA Championship and the US Amateur Championship, the experience alone is set to take Ahmed’s game to new heights.

Here, in his own words, the 17-year-old shares the biggest learnings from his trip and how he intends to implement them in his game going forward.

Rayan’s Diary

This is the second time in two years that I have travelled to the USA for golf tournaments. The last time I visited, the standard of tournaments were very different to the ones that I competed in this time around, and I think that is the most critical learning for me. The quality of the field, the difficulty of the golf course, the scale of the tournament and the pressure it creates is what is needed for me to really develop my game to the next level.

Over the past six weeks, I’ve been to California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Minnesota and passed through a dozen more states. On that journey, I played some of the most iconic courses in tournament conditions, including Torrey Pines, TPC Scottsdale, Firestone, Oakland Hills, Congressional, and Hazeltine amongst others. I tasted the highs of winning against the best and the lows of being humbled by the course many times.

What is consistent across my entire experience in the US is the confidence that I have gained as a golfer, which is invaluable. I have emerged out of these six weeks more confident of my ability to compete at the very top, more aware of where my gaps are and, most importantly, I am now more convinced as to which factors to prioritise. I focused entirely on technique, but now it's is mind, body, technique - in that order.

Some of my key specific learnings over the last few weeks:

Adapt to the course

Almost every course I played had massive variations. Green speed, elevation, spin rate, firmness of the fairways, thickness of the rough, rain and sunshine. I got to play an extremely diverse set of courses and conditions which has helped with my adaptation immensely.

Distance is important, yet accuracy matters

In most key tournaments run by the USGA and PGA, the fairways were narrow and the rough was extremely deep. I went for distance and paid for it because accuracy was so much more critical. At the US Amateur, Hazeltine was set up at 7550 yards with brutal rough. While some of my competitors carried drives of 310+ yards, I felt that I could compete with my 285 carry as long as I was accurate. I was even planning misses in bunkers at times. I will continue to work on my distance but accuracy pays.

Planning for the course

I always felt that I planned well enough prior to my rounds in Dubai and beyond. But I was shocked to see the level of planning that the top competitors had put in. As Tiger one said, “Some play chess while others play checkers”. I am only now beginning to play chess.

I saw everyone playing the holes to a specific plan. The misses were planned as well, the greens at some courses required you to hit very specific shots with the right spin, catering for wind, slope, elevation, grain and so much more. I got better as we proceeded with my planning.

Patience and resilience is key

I learned this at many courses, the thought of ‘playing the hole’ is not enough to me anymore. I believe I now have the confidence to dig myself out of a hole. On the first day of the US Amateur, I was 6 over through six holes - my striking was great, I just couldn't read the wind and went over the hole and stayed short leading to two double bogeys.

In the past I could have folded mentally, but I regrouped. I carded an eagle, birdie and a series of pars to finish on 74 for the day. I started the second round three shots off the cut line and hit an impressive 1 over through my opening nine, but yet again I got desperate for birdies on a treacherous course, losing too many strokes.

Smile and have fun

I was completely drained, sad and angry after shooting a 74 on day one of the US Amateur. While tired I went to the putting green in the evening to find Miles Russell (the youngest golfer to play on the PGA Tour) also practicing there. He was laughing and joking around with his coach. I went back to find that he also carded 74 just like me, yet his attitude was very different from mine. I came back from carding 74 and was sad, while he was focused and relaxed. A big learning. Thanks Miles.

The most difficult course I have ever played

As I reached Oakland Hills, Detroit to play in the US Junior Amateur, lying in wait was all the media frenzy around Charlie Woods and Tiger Woods by his side. It was an amazing experience to be inside the fence with Tiger, but the greatest challenge was the infamous South Course at Oakland Hills.

The great Bobby Jones called it the Monster, and a monster it was with half the greens featuring a false front with 70 yards roll back, deep bunkers and, most critically, the deepest rough I have ever played. I have had the privilege of playing some tough conditions and courses around the world yet this remains the toughest to date.

I almost tamed it until three holes to play on day one, and that is where my greatest learning of my trip came. Respect the tough holes, accept bogeys, never get desperate and play the shot to its merit. I gave six strokes to the course in the last three holes to move from the cut line to out of contention. But I did regroup to shoot a fighting 73 the following day to give myself a lot of confidence.

Putting - not everything is glass

I played the famous Congressional in Washington, the site of Rory McIlroy’s 2011 U.S. Open triumph. While my long game was pristine, I missed a lot of opportunities on putting. The key learning being able to calibrate to slower greens. I missed countless putts and made nine 3-putts over two days in an attempt to be aggressive. A massive learning again.

Final thoughts

As I collate my learnings, I feel we need to have a few bigger tournaments in the UAE with top international players. I also feel we need to create tougher tournament conditions locally for our players. Thick rough, narrow fairways, impossible pins, lightenin and greens. Let's make it tough like it is at the international stage.

I am not looking at the missed opportunities at all. In fact, all I am focused on is the kind of exposure I have gained, playing against the top international golfers, looking at their planning, the skill and course management. That's what I am building on.

Shot by shot, where can I improve? The long uphill putt, the 10 yard shot from deep rough, the impossible deep bunker shot on a downslope pin, the 190 yards from a fairway bunker, how to read the grain on different kinds of grass.

Day one of the US Junior Amateur, I was trying to hit the ball closer to the pin, only to realise that my playing partner Joshua Bai (2023 finalist) was hitting exact pre-planned spots with varying levels of spin for each green. So much learnt, so much to build on. All I have is confidence and self-belief on what my final year as a junior will bring - more growth and wins.