Emirati duo Ahmad Skaik and Ahmed Al Musharekh lead home challenge as Emirates Golf Federation partnership opens doors at home and abroad
September 24, 2026: Emirati golfers Ahmad Skaik and Ahmed Al Musharekh will carry home hopes when the Abu Dhabi Challenge returns to Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club in the Al Ain Region from Wednesday, September 30 to Saturday, October 3.
Staged in partnership with co-organiser and sanctioning body the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) – and supported by Abu Dhabi Sports Council – the tournament gives the pair the chance to test themselves alongside the HotelPlanner Tour’s leading emerging talent, with both taking up places allocated to the EGF.
Few players know the venue better than Skaik. He competed in the Abu Dhabi Challenge in both 2024 and 2025, as well as the inaugural UAE Cup at the same course in October 2024. Last year, he became the first Emirati to make the cut in a European Tour Group event at the UAE Challenge at Al Zorah Golf & Yacht Club, before turning professional on the MENA Golf Tour at the season opener in Portugal in November.
Skaik said: “It feels amazing to be going back to play in Al Ain again – it’s like a big event at home. I played last year and was close to the cut, so this year I want to do better.
“The more big events we have, the better for us and the more opportunities for our players.”
As part of the partnership, 30 places in the Abu Dhabi Challenge field are allocated to the EGF. As well as giving Emirati players the chance to compete on home soil, this allows the federation to exchange its remaining places with other golf federations, opening up playing opportunities for UAE players at HotelPlanner Tour events around the world.
Skaik, who claimed individual and team gold for the UAE at the 2025 GCC Golf Championship with a record 18-under-par total of 270, has been one of the leading beneficiaries of those opportunities.
He said: “It’s a great opportunity for all of us. It’s always very good for us to have these spots, and it’s good to travel and play different courses, because every course in Europe is different – the type of grass, the weather conditions. Most of the courses are very tight, so it’s good for us to challenge ourselves in those conditions.
“It’s been very important for me. I’ve played many HotelPlanner Tour events. I did well in some and not so well in others, but the big part is I realised what I need to work on and what I need to improve to be able to compete with these guys.”
Al Musharekh, who last teed it up in the Abu Dhabi Challenge back in 2024, arrives in Al Ain with a clear target for the week.
“I’m very excited to be back playing in the event this year,” he said. “It’s my first tournament this year and the break has made me miss playing even more. My first goal is to make the cut, and then get the best finish I can after that.
“I have played the course before. You’ve got to have everything all round, in terms of length, approaches and around the greens.
“I think the partnership between the EGF and the European Tour group is a very positive thing for young Emirati golfers. It’s good to see the support they are bringing and hopefully that will encourage more Emirati golfers to want to play at a professional level.”
Skaik believes the standard of Emirati golf is on the rise – and has a clear message for the next generation.
“The level here is growing,” he said. “We have many players who are really good or getting better, and it’s happening quicker than in the past few years, so it’s good to see.
“I’d say always work hard, and if your goal is to become a professional golfer, then do whatever it takes to make that happen. Keep at it and believe in yourself.”
UAE-based favourites David Horsey, Adri Arnaus and Dominic Foos add further local interest, while Craig Howie of Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club will tee it up at his home club. The field also includes former European Ryder Cup star Chris Wood and current Road to Mallorca Number One Christofer Blomstrand. The stakes are high, with the Abu Dhabi Challenge the final opportunity for players to secure their place in the Tour’s two season-ending events in China. Only the leading 68 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings will advance once play concludes in Al Ain.
General Abdullah Al Hashmi, President of the Emirates Golf Federation, said: “Developing homegrown talent is at the heart of everything we do at the Emirates Golf Federation, and the Abu Dhabi Challenge gives our players the chance to test themselves at this level in front of a home crowd.
“By exchanging places with other federations, we are also opening doors for our players at HotelPlanner Tour events around the world, which is a key part of their development. Ahmad’s journey from the National Team to the professional game shows what is possible when players are given these opportunities, and it is exactly the kind of pathway we want the next generation of Emirati golfers to follow.
“We are grateful to the HotelPlanner Tour and Abu Dhabi Sports Council for their support, and we look forward what promises to be another great week in Al Ain.”
The Abu Dhabi Challenge takes place at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club from Wednesday, September 30 to Saturday, October 3, with entry free of charge throughout the week.
