Challenge Tour's return to UAE set to provide 'great opportunities' for local players

EGF allocated 30 spots in each of the two tournaments in Abu Dhabi, which can be swapped with other federations, allowing UAE players to compete in other events around the world

The UAE’s No 1-ranked amateur, Ahmad Skaik, is expected to contest another five Challenge Tour events this season, predominantly in Europe, after participating in both Abu Dhabi tournaments. Getty

The Challenge Tour’s return to the UAE later this month will provide local players with a vital opportunity to test themselves against the next generation of golf talent, organisers have said.

The developmental circuit, which offers a pathway to the DP World Tour, stages back-to-back events in Abu Dhabi from April 27 – the first time it has visited the UAE since 2018.

The inaugural Abu Dhabi Challenge, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from April 27-30, kicks off successive weeks of competition in the capital, with the UAE Challenge following at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club from May 4-7.

The two events, part of the Challenge Tour’s season-long Road to Mallorca, form part of a 10-year partnership signed last year between the European Tour group and the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), which aims to develop golf in the UAE.

Thirty spots in each of the two Challenge Tour tournaments will be allocated to the EGF to create playing opportunities for Emirati golfers, while those places can also be traded with other federations across the world for UAE-based players to compete overseas.

“Having the Challenge Tour come into the UAE for two weeks with the Abu Dhabi Challenge and the UAE Challenge is a great opportunity for the UAE national players,” said Freddie Schmeisser, Head of Championships, DP World Tour Middle East. “Playing twice in a row on the Challenge Tour, playing golf courses they know where they potentially have a slight advantage, and having the chance to compete on the professional level, gaining a lot of experience, is fantastic.

“In addition, this tournament is not only about the experience here in the UAE for the UAE national players: the Emirates Golf Federation have very wisely traded invitations with other associations that organise these Challenge Tour events, for example in Ireland, in France, all over the world.

“And this will now give the opportunity for the UAE national players to play also on the Challenge Tour is these countries, which means they’re not only playing two - they’re actually playing three, four tournaments."

The Challenge Tour first held events in the UAE in 2013 and 2014, with the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final at Al Badia Golf Club. Al Hamra Golf Club then hosted the Ras Al Khaimah Golf Challenge and the Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final between 2016 and 2018.

Spain’s Adri Arnaus won the latter in 2018 to earn a place on the then European Tour. Now a UAE resident, he secured his first DP World Tour title at last year’s Catalunya Championship.

“Adri’s progress shows the value of the Challenge Tour,” Schmeisser said. “So for UAE players to have the opportunity to compete on their home turf, without big travel, with potential up-and-coming stars, learning, the experience they’re getting on a professional level, is great.

"They’re playing Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, which is a fantastic golf course - a super, super difficult golf course - they’re playing Abu Dhabi Golf Club, which for a long time hosted the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the past, which top players like Rory [McIlroy] have played.

“It's a great opportunity for them to play such difficult courses and it will be interesting to see how they perform on their home ground.”

Akram Skaik, EGF’s director general, said the ability to trade spots with other federations will allow national team players to gain valuable exposure in competing against professional players around the world.

The UAE’s No 1-ranked amateur, Ahmad Skaik, is expected to contest another five Challenge Tour events this season, predominantly in Europe, after participating in both Abu Dhabi tournaments.

Akram Skaik said: “First of all, this is a part of the partnership that we signed with the DP World Tour last year, and we mentioned that we would bring the Challenge Tour back to the UAE for the first time since 2018. And the beauty is it’s happening for the first time in Abu Dhabi.

“Also, the 30 spots we've been allocated in each tournament - 20 professionals, 10 amateurs - has allowed us to exchange spots for our players to go play on the Challenge Tour around the world, such as Europe and South Africa, which is a huge opportunity to gain experience."

Skaik said the EGF would give three slots in Abu Dhabi to members of the Under-18 boys national team, with another four to go to winners of their Order of Merit's four "majors" and a further two to PGA professionals working in the UAE.

“So I’m delighted," Skaik said. "We’re very happy at the federation, and I’m really thankful to the government for the support we receive in Abu Dhabi. It’s good to put Abu Dhabi in the spotlight for golf again.

“This is us giving back to the community. We want to give our amateurs, Emiratis and residents, the opportunity to do it, and it’s happening this year.”

As for the ultimate objective of the long-term agreement with the European Tour group, Skaik said: “It’s a partnership that has an expiry date 10 years from now. Of course, we will both use it to our benefit - it’s a partnership. As much as we can help and support the golf industry, we will do it.

“Ultimately, we want our players to play on the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. We’re building the road for them; other than that it’s up to them. We’re investing in coaches, programmes and camps. And I consider this an investment too: bringing the Challenge Tour is an investment for our kids.

“Our dream, part of our vision that we started with the federation, is to see Emiratis playing and competing on the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and Asian Tour.

“We are blessed with the country and the rulers that we are bringing the opportunity for them to experiment it here. It is just the beginning. But that’s our dream: to have Arabs playing and competing and winning. And I don’t think it’s impossible.”

Top-ranked amateur Ahmad Skaik has elite-level experience having played eight events on the DP World Tour. He made history at the 2021 Aviv Dubai Championship by carding the lowest round by an Emirati on the DP World Tour, when he shot 68 around the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Skaik, who is returning to competition in Abu Dhabi following a back injury, said he is relishing the chance to compete on the Challenge Tour.

“It’s a very big thing for us,” he said. “Every chance we get to play with such big players, the best players in Europe and some of the best in the world, we have to try and take advantage, to try to learn from them and see what we have to do to get to the next level.

“It’s such a good thing to play with these players, to learn from it and hopefully take my game to the next level. My goal is to become a professional, so these are the events I should be playing to get to the next step.”