The UAE’s rising golf star opens up about turning professional, the weight of expectation, and preparing to compete at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on his home course—where familiarity meets a whole new level of challenge
Ahmad Skaik looks relaxed when we meet, which is quite something for a young golfer who’s just made one of the biggest calls of his sporting life. Last month, he turned professional on the MENA Golf Tour, closing the chapter on a solid amateur career and opening one that he hopes will lead to far bigger things.
The timing was deliberate. “I always wanted to turn pro,” he says. “I wanted to do it before, but I spoke to my team and my father and decided to do it after the Asian Pacific Championship.” He pauses, and there’s a flicker of what might have been. “Obviously, if I had won, I would have stayed amateur to play the Masters, but I didn’t—so I turned pro, and here we are.”
It’s a straightforward take on a decision many young golfers wrestle with for ages. But Skaik seems at peace with how it’s played out. Augusta can wait. Right now, he’s dealing with the reality of professional golf—all the pressure, all the opportunity, all the uncertainty that comes with it.
Going from amateur to pro isn’t just a matter of ticking a box. The stakes change overnight. Money matters now. Tournament results carry weight beyond the scoreboard. Yet when we ask about the biggest adjustments, Skaik keeps it simple.
“Off the course, I’m trying to do more media stuff,” he says, gesturing vaguely at our conversation. “But on the course it’s the same. I’m just trying to treat every tournament like it’s another tournament. Nothing changes—amateur or pro, you still have to hit the shots, you still have to make the putts. So yeah, keep practicing, keep getting better, keep playing tournaments, and see where we get to.”
There’s wisdom in that approach. The swing mechanics don’t care whether you’re playing for prize money or a trophy. A tricky downhill putt is tricky regardless of your status. Where things get complicated is between the ears, and that’s where Skaik’s real test begins.
Being one of the UAE’s top golf talents means Skaik isn’t just chasing his own dreams. In a country where the game is booming but elite local players are still relatively rare, he’s carrying something bigger. It’s not quite the weight of a nation, but it’s not far off either.
“There’s always going to be pressure and nerves,” he admits without hesitation. “I always want to do well, and if there are nerves, it means you care. I’ll just go out there, try my best, hit the best shot I can, and focus on the process.”
That last bit—the process—keeps coming up when he talks. It’s sports psychology language, sure, but it’s also practical. When everything feels like it’s riding on the next shot, focusing on the immediate task is often the only way through.
The MENA Golf Tour has given him a useful testing ground. He mentions playing in Portugal, where he made the cut in his second event as a pro. On paper, it might not sound like much. To Skaik, it was huge.
“That gave me a lot of confidence that I can play even as a pro,” he explains. “Thinking now as a pro, there’s a lot of pressure—I’m one of the only pros in the UAE—so to be able to make the cut there in different conditions is a real confidence booster.”
Being among the first isn’t easy. In places like the US or Australia, young pros have dozens of peers going through the same thing. They compare notes, share the struggle, learn together. For Skaik, the path is a bit lonelier. Every result becomes part of a bigger narrative about Emirati golf’s future, which adds another layer to an already complicated situation.
If there’s one course that’ll define Skaik’s early pro career, it’s the Majlis at Emirates Golf Club. He’s played it countless times as an amateur, but knowing a course doesn’t always mean loving it.
“It used to test me a lot off the tee—I didn’t like it, it never suited my eye,” he admits with a grin. “But I practiced a lot on it for the Asian Pacific and started liking the course. I feel like we started building a bond, me and the course, and hopefully we can take that into the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.”
Golf’s funny like that. A course that feels like your enemy one year can become an ally the next. For Skaik, the shift came through hours of work—figuring out the lines, understanding where to attack and where to play safe, building familiarity until it became comfort.
Playing the Hero Dubai Desert Classic as a professional is different territory entirely. He played it once as an amateur, but turning up with tour status changes everything.
“It would be amazing,” he says, though you can tell the word doesn’t quite capture it. “Of course, there’s going to be more pressure, more nerves, and excitement. It’s something that scares me a little, so it will make me practice more and try to prepare as much as possible.”
The Majlis has seen some serious talent over the years. Tiger, Rory, Ernie—the champions’ list reads like a greatest hits of modern golf. For a young Emirati stepping onto that stage, the symbolism isn’t lost.
We ask him to imagine that first tee shot on Thursday morning. He thinks about it for a moment. “Of course there’s excitement and nerves, but I’m going to look at it as: this is what I want my future to be, and these are exactly the events I want to be playing. I’m going to enjoy the moment and stick to the process.”
Process again. When the gallery’s watching and your heart’s racing, it’s the thing that keeps you steady.
You’d think playing at home would give Skaik an edge. Local knowledge, friendly faces, sleeping in your own bed. But he’s quick to manage expectations about what “home advantage” actually means at this level.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a big advantage,” he cautions. “The layout, yes—but the course conditions are very different when you play the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. The greens are much firmer, which we’re not used to, and the rough is very, very thick. It plays like a completely different golf course, but I’m sure I’ll be ready to play.”
It’s a reminder that professional tournament golf is a different animal. The course regular members play on Tuesday morning bears little resemblance to what the field faces during a championship. The setup changes everything—tighter fairways, lightning-fast greens, rough that can swallow a golf ball whole.
What doesn’t change is the support. Friends and family will be out there watching, which Skaik clearly appreciates.
“It’s good to have people come out and watch,” he says, brightening up. “You saw at the Asian Pacific—I had a lot of people come out to support me, which was great. I really enjoyed it, especially after the round; if you play well, you see all of them come and give you hugs. Hopefully, I can put on a good show for them.”
Nobody makes it alone in professional sport, and Skaik’s quick to acknowledge the people who’ve helped him get here. When we ask who’s been most important, he doesn’t pick one person.
“It’s a mix of everything—the coaches, my family, my team, and the Emirates Golf Federation all played a very big role. I feel like it’s a big team, and each person has their own input.”
It’s the right answer, really. The time on the range, the mental work, the physical conditioning, the strategy—none of it happens without a solid team around you.
Skaik’s got clear goals for his first season. Top of the list is getting his Asian Tour card through Q School, which is about as tough as qualifying processes get.
“I’m playing the Q School final stage for the Asian Tour, so hopefully this is a big goal for me—to get my Asian Tour card,” he says. “And for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, of course, making the cut would be very good.”
The goals make sense. He’s not talking about winning majors or breaking into the world’s top fifty. He’s focused on the next logical steps—get the card, make some cuts, build from there. It’s ambitious enough to matter but realistic enough to actually achieve.
As one of the few Emirati pros out there, Skaik knows younger players are watching what he does. It’s a responsibility he takes seriously, though he’s not overthinking it.
“Yeah, I usually just do my thing. I practice, I work hard, I try to play big events, and I try to do well. All of this inspires the younger generation, and I try to be the best version of myself on and off the golf course.”
Then he gets a bit more thoughtful. “People should see it this way: never be arrogant, never be cocky, whether you win a tournament or not, because at the end of the day, we’re nothing. So there’s no point in that. I just try to be the best person I can, on and off the golf course.”
It’s a grounded philosophy from someone who’d be forgiven for having a bit more swagger. He’s just turned pro and is about to play against some seriously good golfers. But maybe that humility is exactly what’ll serve him best going forward.
As Ahmad Skaik gets ready for his professional debut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, he’s doing it with realistic expectations and a clear head. He knows it won’t be easy. He’s ready for the pressure. And he’s sticking to what got him here in the first place. The amateur days are behind him now. What comes next will define whether he’s just another hopeful or something more. Based on how he’s handling things so far, Emirati golf might just have found someone worth watching.
