It’s amazing to be here at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic! I’ve played in a lot of professional tournaments as an amateur and I played well in my last one, the Saudi International, where I finished sixth. But this event is much bigger – it’s a Rolex Series event, the environment, the players, and everything here is just incredible.
This is only my second time in Dubai. The first was just two months ago when I won the Pan Arab Championship at Al Zorah Golf Club, but as you can see right here, this Dubai skyline is incredible.
2024 was definitely my best year to date. I think I had nine victories, so it’s good; it means that the work I’m doing with my coach and my team is paying off. I’ve been at Odessa College in the States, but I’m transferring to Texas Tech, so I’m hoping that 2025 is going to be even better.
The Majlis Course here is amazing! The fairways are so tight, so you have to hit it straight, which is thankfully a strength in my driving. I’ll just have to be patient and hope to make some birdies and putts. But then again, par on every hole would be good for me.
I’ve obviously watched this tournament on TV, and you see the lines these guys take off the tee, so I’m trying not to copy that and just do my own thing because they hit the ball way further than me!
But this week, my goal is to win, definitely. I know my A-game can compete against the top players, for sure. Last month at the PIF Saudi International it showed me where I was at, so this week, I know what I can do and what I’m capable of. Of course, making the cut is a goal, but the real goal is to win.
Maybe only five or six people know who I am this week—make that seven, including my dad! But I just want to show that us Arab players are here and we have potential. Even here in Dubai, there are so many good players from the surrounding Arab countries.
So it’s an honour for me to be here representing Morocco and the Arab flag. It means a lot. Again, it’s showing that we’re here and we have the talent to do it. In the following ten years, the next generation of Arab golf will be good.
