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Skaik in action at January’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

By Kent Gray
Ahmad Skaik has Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter in his corner and will come out swinging to prove he’s learned from his tough European Tour debut in January.

Regardless of the eventual outcome, the UAE No.1 reckons he can’t lose when he tees it up in the new Golf in Dubai Championship presented by DP World on Wednesday. The 23-year-old is not only a special invitee into the $1.2 million event but has also been handed the honour of hitting the first shot on Fire on what will be the UAE’s 49th National Day.

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“I am very excited, it is an honour for me to represent my country and to be out there on National Day is truly special,” said Skaik. “For me to be the first player to tee off is historic and I will be able to say in the future that I was the player that kick-started this event.”

The Golf in Dubai Championship will be Skaik’s second taste of the big time after he qualified for January’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as the top Emirati at the emirate’s earlier amateur championship.

Rounds of 84-85 left him 25-over-par, 26-shots shy of making the cut and under no illusions about the standards required to compete at the highest level. Skaik, who is eyeing a pro career once he’s finished his university studies, previously described the experience as the “best thing that ever happened to me”.

“When I played there I was very nervous at the beginning and I let that affect my game throughout the tournament, so hopefully this time I will know how to deal with it in a better way,” said the +3.2 handicapper.

“I let my head go down because I wasn’t playing that well but I was keeping my score together and then when I let my head go down I started losing shots here and there.

“I’m quite familiar with the Fire course as I used to play at Jumeirah Golf Estates almost every day a few years ago. I haven’t played as much recently but I went last week and have seen some changes being made, the fairways are tighter but I think I should be fine.”

Skaik, who captured the UAE Presidents Cup earlier this year, has benefited from insight from DP World ambassador Poulter.

“Having Ian Poulter as a mentor has been a very good experience,” Skaik said of his budding relationship with ‘The Postman’, a 12-time European Tour winner.

“He’s such a big player with so much experience. When I was growing up I would watch the likes of him before I even started playing, so it’s a dream come true to be able to talk to him privately and get some knowledge and confidence and put that into my game.”

The Golf in Dubai Championship runs from Wednesday to Saturday and precedes the Race to Dubai deciding DP World Tour Championship on Earth, the course adjacent to Fire at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dec. 10-13.

Both events are restricted to invited guests only. UAE fans can follow the action on the Dubai Sports channel and via Golf Digest Middle East’s daily coverage from JGE.