Ahmad Skaik, Yuxin Lin, Keita Nakajima and Puwit Anupansuebsai took time-out from their prep to preview the 12th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship with some sightseeing around the Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai.

By Kent Gray
While he undoubtedly shares the field-wide dream of earning invites to The Masters at Augusta National in April and July’s milestone 150th Open Championship at St Andrews, Amhad Skaik’s reality at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is very much in the here and now.

The UAE No.1 has been handed the honour of hitting the opening shot at the 12th edition of the region’s pre-eminent amateur event at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. He’ll do so at 7.15am on Wednesday, the first of 93 players looking to emulate the likes of two-time former champion Hideki Matsuyama at the 72-hole strokeplay event by becoming Asia-Pacific champion with its two major benefits.

“It is an honour…for Dubai to host the tournament, and for me to be hitting the opening shot of the tournament. It is very special. I’m just excited to get going, and it is good to go out first,” said the 24-year-old left-hander.

Like many in the field, Skaik has plenty of experience but little recent competition play to draw on after the obvious impact of the pandemic on golf’s global amateur calendar.

“My form is pretty good. This is my second tournament in six months. So, let’s see how that goes,” he said.

“The AAC is a very big tournament, and it means a lot to me to do well, especially here in my country. I’ve played the event three times and didn’t play as well as I wanted, so I’m hoping that I’ll make the cut and play much better than before.”

Skaik, who will be flying the UAE flag alongside Khalid Yousuf, Khalifa Al Masaood and Rashid Al Emadi this week, is looking for a fast start.

“In terms of conditions, I think the ball will fly a bit faster in the morning. The Creek course can be a little windy in the afternoon but over the first two rounds we are going to get exposure to both morning and afternoon golf so it is not going to make such a difference. I’m playing pretty good, let’s see how it goes.”

HISTORY: UAE No.1 Ahmad Skaik gets the 12th Asia Pacific Amateur Championship underway at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. It is the first time the UAE has hosted the prestigious event.