UAE’s Skaik impresses despite limited prep at Ras Al Khaimah Championship

The UAE’s Ahmad Skaik carded his second-best round on the DP World Tour in the opening round of the 2025 Ras Al Khaimah Championship, despite having just three days of proper preparation.

The amateur, who is playing on an invite from the Emirates Golf Federation, traded four bogeys for four birdies to post an opening level par round of 72 at Al Hamra Golf Club – only bettered by his four-under-par 68 at the 2021 AVIV Championship.

Skaik’s achievement is even more impressive given the windy conditions in the northernmost Emirate and his limited preparation.

A recurrence of a previous back injury following the Pan Arab Golf Championship in November sidelined the 27-year-old for nearly two months. His return was further delayed by a swollen ankle, leaving him with just three full days of practice before his ninth DP World Tour start.

“It felt really good being back out there,” Skaik told Gulf News.

“I was pretty nervous because I didn’t play any tournaments in the last two months. I couldn’t really prep much either, so it took a bit of time to put trust in myself.

“I just kept telling myself that I was playing well before I got injured again. Just played it one shot at a time and tried to hole the putts.”

Having made the turn in 31 strokes, Skaik found himself back to level par with a bogey on the 10th, where he “chunked” his shot from the middle of the fairway.

He rebounded with a brilliant 21-foot birdie putt on the 13th to move under par again but immediately gave the shot back on the next hole, followed by another dropped shot on the 17th.

Skaik ended his round on a high note, celebrating with a fist pump after a superb approach on the 18th left him 10 feet for his fourth birdie of the day. He calmly sank the putt to sign off with a level-par 72 — his best-ever score at the tournament.

“I hit the ball pretty good off the tee, just had one bad tee shot on 17, which got lost in the trees,” said Skaik, who is tied 46th.

“That type of stuff is going to happen with the lack of playing time I have had recently and not my favourite wind with it blowing right to left out there.

“I just made a silly bogey on the par-5 14th, which should be a birdie opportunity, but I just hit it in the wrong spot and had a tough third shot. Chunked it from 150 yards from the middle of the fairway on the 10th, which also could be down to lack of playing as I never do that kind of thing.

“I’m just happy I fought back after those incidents to finish level par.”

While Skaik ultimately controls his performance on the course, he relies heavily on his caddie for accurate club selection, yardages, and putting lines.

Typically, the Emirati has his coach or friends on the bag during high-profile events. However, in a sign of his growing maturity, Skaik opted this time for seasoned caddie Adam Brumwood.

The Australian brings 27 years of experience to the role, having caddied on Tour and in Major Championships, providing Skaik with invaluable guidance on the big stage.

“It’s very good to have him on the bag,” he says.

“It was really good to be honest. I’d leave a hole frustrated, and he would tell me to put it in the past and tell me to talk about something else, as there’s so much more to talk about.

“It’s true, I don’t need to put any energy on the negatives. Just keep pushing and going forward – that’s what we did and we worked really well together. Hopefully the relationship gets better and better as the week goes on.”

After grabbing a bite to eat and spending time on the range fine-tuning his game, Skaik will ice his foot to reduce swelling. He’ll then return to Al Hamra Golf Club on Friday for the second round, aiming to become the first UAE amateur to make the cut at a DP World Tour event.

“It would mean a lot, it’s my dream to be here at this level,” he says.

“It’s just a step forward to becoming a professional. It would give me a lot of confidence.”