‘I told my Dad I’d make the cut’: Skaik turns bold prediction at UAE Challenge into history

Sometimes belief makes all the difference. The night before his second round at the UAE Challenge, Ahmad Skaik looked his father in the eye and made a bold promise: “I’m going to make the cut.”

And the next day he didn’t just keep his promise – he made golfing history when he became the first Emirati golfer ever to make the cut in a European Tour group event.

On Friday at Al Zorah Golf & Yacht Club, the 27-year-old talent delivered a spectacular birdie-birdie-eagle finish to sign off with a sensational five-under-par 67 that moved him to four under for the tournament and into the weekend with the game – and belief – to go even lower.

“I told my dad yesterday, I’m going to make birdie on the last to make the cut, because I triple-bogeyed it (in round one),” he said. “So, I’ll take eagle for sure! It’s very tough to make an eagle, with that side slope off the green. I just thought, I don’t want to miss it right? I hit a really good three-iron – and the putt droopped.

It was the kind of finish you can’t script, but Skaik had already written the story in his head the night before.

Skaik had finished the opening round at one over par, but it was a score that belied his excellent form, which saw him complete his back nine (Al Zorah’s front nine, having started on the 10th) in just 33 strokes.

“I was very confident, even yesterday. It was just that one hole – 18 – that made my score look like I was playing badly,” said Skaik.

Now, with the weekend in sight, the amateur trailblazer has his sights is focused on making more history.

“I’ve never made it to the weekend in a HotelPlanner Tour or DP World Tour event, so it’s exciting. I want to go double digits under par—that’s my goal,” he said.

Growing Home Talent

The Emirati golfer’s progress is a testament to the success of the Emirates Golf Federation’s (EGF) partnership with the European Tour group, which aims to develop homegrown talent and create clear pathways for UAE-based players to compete at the highest levels of the sport.

As part of the partnership, the EGF has secured 60 spots for local players at this week’s event in Ajman and next week’s Abu Dhabi Challenge at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club. These spots can also be exchanged with other federations to unlock even more playing opportunities at HotelPlanner Tour events worldwide. The initiative is yielding positive results for UAE golf.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s JC Ritchie, France’s Oihan Guillamoundeguy, and Ireland’s Mark Power share the lead at ten under, each carding strong second rounds to position themselves atop a crowded leaderboard.

Guillamoundeguy capped off his round with back-to-back birdies, while Dubai resident Adri Arnaus and UAE’s Joshua Grenville-Wood also impressed, the latter matching Skaik’s eagle at the 18th to move to six under.

But the story of the day belonged to Ahmad Skaik- the confident young man who told his dad he’d make the cut, then went out and made history.