UAE golfers prepare for historic outing at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship

 Excitement is building as a record five UAE players prepare to compete at the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, set to take place on the iconic Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club from October 23–26, 2025.

Ahmad Skaik, Rayan Ahmad, Abdulla Kalbat, Jonathan Selvaraj and Sam Mullane will lead the UAE challenge as the prestigious Championship returns to the Emirates for only the second time, following the 12th edition at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in 2021.

Ahead of the tournament, four of the UAE contingent gathered at Emirates Golf Club to speak to local media, marking what promises to be a record-breaking week at the Middle East’s first grass course. The five-player line-up surpasses the previous record of four UAE participants in the Championship.

For Skaik, this year carries extra significance. The 28-year-old will make his sixth appearance in the event, but it will also be his final outing before turning professional. He is no stranger to the elite stage, having teed it up at the Dubai Desert Classic and Abu Dhabi Championship, while more recently competing on invitations at several HotelPlanner Tour events - where earlier this year he became the first Emirati to make the cut in a European Tour group-sanctioned tournament.

“Tournaments like the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship have been pivotal in my journey as an amateur and have played a huge role in preparing me to turn professional after this event,” said Skaik.

“I’ve had plenty of fantastic memories at the Championship, including becoming only the second Emirati to make the cut when it was last staged in the UAE, as well as hitting the opening tee shot that year.

“It feels like a fitting farewell to my amateur career to be joined by a record five participants representing the UAE at Emirates Golf Club for my final appearance in the Championship — hopefully we can all enjoy a great week.”

Mullane and Selvaraj will both be looking to make an impression as they make their Championship debuts. Mullane has enjoyed a strong year, with wins at the Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai Amateur Open and the 2025 Cedars Golf Championship, while Selvaraj has claimed victories at World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) events in Morocco and the UAE.

“I’m excited to tee it up for the first time in such a prestigious Championship,” said Mullane.

“We’ve heard a lot about the tournament from Ahmad, Rayan and Abdulla, so I’m just looking forward to getting out there and playing with some of the best amateurs in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Selvaraj added: “I’ve been preparing for this for a long time - it’s always been a goal of mine to compete in this Championship. To now have the opportunity to do it in the UAE, on such an iconic course, is going to be very special.”

Kalbat and Ahmad complete the quintet, with the pair of 18-year-olds making their second Championship appearances after debuting at last year’s tournament at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan, where Ahmad made the cut before finishing T49.

“To make the weekend on my first Championship start was something I had dreamed about,” said Ahmad. “To now have the chance to back that up and try to climb higher on the leaderboard at this year’s edition, here at home in the UAE, is an opportunity I’m going to grab with both hands.”

Kalbat added: “Although I missed the cut last year, I learned so much from competing with the region’s best amateur golfers. I’ve used that experience as a learning curve, and it will put me in good stead heading into this year’s edition at Emirates Golf Club.”

Designed by Karl Litten and established in 1988 as the first grass course in the Middle East, Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis Course is located south of downtown Dubai and enjoys views of the city’s skyline.

The Majlis Course annually serves as the host of the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, an event won by the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els, the latter of which owns the course record of 61. Australia’s Lucas Herbert won the Dubai Desert Classic in 2020 to become the first alum to win the event five years after his final appearance at the Asia-Pacific Amateur. Emirates Golf Club will host the Asia-Pacific Amateur for the first time.