UAE's Skaik returns to Challenge Tour next month with double-header

UAE National Team star Ahmad Skaik is eagerly preparing for his return to the Challenge Tour double-header in the UAE next month, an essential step in his progression toward turning professional.

For the third consecutive year, the DP World Tour’s official feeder circuit will grace UAE shores.

The action kicks off with the UAE Challenge from April 10-13 at Al Zorah Golf & Yacht Club, which will host a European Tour group-sanctioned event for the first time. The tour then heads to Abu Dhabi for the Abu Dhabi Challenge, staged at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club from April 17-20.

These back-to-back events not only showcase rising stars and DP World Tour winners fighting their way back to golf’s global stage but also play a crucial role in developing UAE National Team players, along with UAE-based professionals and amateurs.

This progress is made possible through the EGF’s long-standing partnership with the European Tour group, which secures 30 tournament spots for UAE players across the two events. This initiative builds on the European Tour group’s commitment to nurturing golf in the UAE until at least 2032.

Skaik has been a key beneficiary of these opportunities over the past two years and will once again tee it up alongside fellow UAE National Team players, including Sam Mullane, Jonathan Selvaraj, Rayan Ahmed, Mohammad Skaik, and Neyl Cherrat.

“The partnership has been very, very valuable,” said Skaik.

“I feel like I get better every time I play on the Tour – I grow my character, I learn and believe I can one day compete and win there. The players on the Tour are a bit sharper, make fewer mistakes and are a bit more consistent – I feel like I’m getting there. I just need to keep practicing and doing what I’m doing, and hopefully one day I can win there and on the DP World Tour.”

Exposure to elite competition has been transformative for Ahmad Skaik’s journey toward his ultimate goal of turning professional - possibly as soon as the end of this year, following the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in the UAE.

Last month, the 27-year-old delivered a career-defining performance at the 2025 GCC Golf Championship, where he clinched both individual and team gold medals for the UAE at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia. His record-breaking 18-under-par total of 270 set a new benchmark for the lowest score in the championship’s history, accompanied by the largest winning margin in the individual category.

This historic achievement was built on the foundation of valuable experience gained from playing 12 Challenge Tour events over the past two years.

Thanks to the EGF’s exchange of tournament spots with other golf federations, UAE players like Skaik have been able to compete in Challenge Tour events worldwide, gaining exposure and honing their skills on an international stage.

“Playing these events always helps me stay on top of things,” said Skaik.

“I want to work hard and be confident heading to these events so I can compete. When I’m playing well, I want to play more and more - I love it when I have three or four upcoming HotelPlanner Tour starts as I learn from them and get better as the weeks go by.”

Skaik has accomplished much in his amateur career. He stands as only the second UAE national to make the cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, boasts multiple President’s Cup victories, and holds the distinction of carding the lowest DP World Tour round by an Emirati amateur at the 2021 AVIV Championship.

Yet, one elusive milestone continues to evade him: making the cut in a European Tour Group-sanctioned event.

The AVIV Championship provided Skaik with what seemed like a golden opportunity. A dazzling opening round of 68 hinted at a breakthrough, but a second-round 73 dashed those hopes as he narrowly missed the cut at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

 Similarly, at last year’s D+D REAL Czech Challenge, a steady one-under-par first round suggested promise, only for a second-round 71 to leave him just short again.

While making the weekend remains an obvious objective heading into the upcoming UAE double-header, Skaik’s aspirations soar far higher than simply surviving the cut.

“I’ve got close to making the cut a few times, especially the last one in Czech Republic,” Skaik said.

“I feel like I shouldn’t chase the cut, I should just play my golf and allow myself to play freely.

“Hopefully try to compete and not just make the cut.”

If Skaik makes the cut this time, he will become the first amateur from the UAE to do so in a European Tour group-sanctioned event. It would be a historic achievement, widely celebrated across the country for its significance to the development of the game.