Emirati ace Skaik secures historic gold at GCC Golf Championship

The UAE men’s and youth – U18 – teams competed in the 2025 GCC Golf Championship at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Saudi Arabia.

Making history by firing the lowest score ever recorded in the GCC Golf Championships, Ahmad Skaik ran away with the Gold Medal with an impressive 18-under-par (-18) final score.

With Skaik’s historic score, he led the way for the UAE men’s team to capture their first ever team gold medal. With rounds of 67-69-66-68, for a championship total of 270, 18-under-par (-18), Skaik finished 15 shots clear of the silver medallist. This was an unprecedented finish and the largest lead in the GCC Golf Championship’s individual category history. Jonathan Selvaraj finished with the bronze medal in the individual category shooting four-over-par (+4) just one shot ahead of Sam Mullane who finished in fourth place. Rayan Ahmed rounded out the men’s team, finishing in sixth place with a score of nine-over-par (+9).

Skaik said: “I was hitting the ball very well all week, especially off the tee, which gave me a lot of wedges for my approach shot. With my putter on, I only made five bogeys, 21 birdies, and one eagle. This, by far, is my best score in a tournament. With all four rounds in the 60s, this was something I’ve wanted to accomplish.

“I have been working on a lot of tempo and force plate work, which I think has helped a lot. I look forward to taking this finish into the rest of the UAE season and into the summer.”

In addition to the two medal finishes, the men’s team also collected the first-ever gold medal in the team category, finishing 20-under-par (-20), a commanding 37 stroke difference between themselves and the second place – the team from Qatar. Bahrain won the bronze medal in the team category.

In the U18 (Youth Division), Team UAE captured the Bronze Medal. Leading the way was Mohammed Thabet, who shot 22-over-par. Thabet also collected the bronze medal in the individual category. Abdulla Kalbat finished in ninth Place, and Abdulla Salmeen finished in 15th Place in the individual category.

General Abdullah Alhashmi, Vice Chairman, said: “We have truly shattered records with an incredible performance. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible players for their hard work and determination. A special appreciation to the entire coaching staff and my warmest congratulations to Khalid Mubarak, for his leadership and dedication.

“This was a true team effort, and I couldn’t be prouder. As Vice Chairman of the Federation, it fills me with immense pride to witness such achievements. Let’s keep this momentum going and continue striving for excellence.”

Played at the Royal Greens and Country Club, this year’s GCC Golf Championship was the 16th edition of the Youth Championship and the 27th edition of the Men’s Championship. Royal Green is an 18-hole championship golf course that has played host to European Tour, LIV Golf, Asian Tour, and Ladies European Tour events.

The men’s championship was played over four rounds, with the top three scores from the team contributing per round. The youth competition was played over three rounds, with the top two scores per round contributing to the teams’ overall results.