UAE No. 1 made history in 2021 shooting lowest DP World Tour round by an Emirati 25-year-old also won amateur UAE President’s Cup this year for 3rd time in 4 years DUBAI: The UAE’s top golfer Ahmad Skaik is set for a European Challenge Tour comeback this week as it makes its return to the country after a five-year absence with a double-header in Abu Dhabi. After a hiatus of almost 12 months due to a back injury, Skaik hopes to get back into the swing of things at the Abu Dhabi Challenge starting on Thursday on the greens of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club course; and again, at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club for the UAE Challenge tournament set to take place from May 4 to 7. The UAE No. 1 will be among several other up-and-coming Emirati talents looking to make an impact at the weekend. Skaik said: “It has been some time since I played at this level because of my back injury, but I feel pretty good, and hope to play some solid rounds. “I am excited to be out there with great international competition, it is exactly what I need right now to improve my game. I don’t feel as tournament sharp as I would like as I haven’t played much but I am hoping this week will be a good way to ease my way back into full-time playing,” he added. Skaik warmed up post-injury by winning the 2023 UAE President’s Cup for the third time in four years and finished second in the GCC Golf Championship in Bahrain earlier this year. “Although my back injury set me back, and with Ramadan practise has been hard leading up to this week, I keep reminding myself that I shot a four under par 68 in the 2021 AVIV Dubai Championship and I am focused on just playing that well again. “My goal for the weekend is to make the cut, that is really all I will be focusing on tomorrow, since I am on the road to recovery now. I will be playing five more of the European Challenge Tours overseas after these two weekends and hopefully join the professionals by the end of the year,” Skaik said. The DP World Tour and the Emirates Golf Federation announced last year a long-term partnership expected to develop golf in the UAE. There was a commitment to invest in a minimum of two Challenge Tour events in the country annually from 2023, and to make 30 spots available for young Emirati golfers to play. Skaik joined the EGF soon after swinging his first club at the age of 14 and has had the chance to tee off with some of the biggest names in the game. Besides the amateur events, he has played in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship three times, the Dubai Desert Classic, the Ras Al-Khaimah Championship, and the momentous 2021 AVIV Dubai Championship at Jumeirah Golf Course. “Playing under this kind of pressure sharpens my game. Teeing off with some of the biggest names keeps me focused on improving. I am hoping to turn professional after the 2023 World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi this year and get more experience on the big tournaments. “It feels weird one day to be playing in the smaller amateur events and the next week to be on the same green with Rory McIlroy, the best of the best there is, and everyone is watching. It’s a lot of pressure, so I think playing more and more on those events will help me a lot with my future game,” he added. Now having returned full time this week from his injury, and having finished university last year, Skaik can focus solely on these big tournaments. Although he lives in Dubai, this week he has been practising in Abu Dhabi in preparation for Thursday’s start. He said: “I have only played two amateur events in the last year, so I don’t really know where to put my expectations for my game. “I know what I am capable of, I know I can play well so I am just going to go out there and focus on every shot. I know when I am on, I can shoot a good score. “There is no point trying to put too many expectations on myself, I will just go out there and see what happens. One shot at a time.”