Abdullah Al Musharrekh Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

UAE fight on at Eisenhower Trophy as Japan lead in Paris

Matt Smith — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 09:25:14 +0000

By Matt Smith
The UAE National Team continued their fight on the World Amateur Team Championships (Eisenhower Trophy) in France as they shot a collective second-round nine-over 151.

Ahmad Skaik improved on his first-round score by three strokes with a 75 while Khalid Yousuf followed up his opening 82 with a 76.

Playing on Le Golf National, the UAE’s third man Abdullah Al Musharrekh also went better than Day 1, with an 86. The best two-from-three scores count towards the team total, with the UAE sitting T64 after Day 2.

Japan continue to lead the team event on 22-under, with France, Italy, Spain and the US leading the chase. Japan’s Taiga Semikawa is heading the individual standings on 15-under with two rounds to go.

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United they stand: The UAE’s Yousuf, Skaik and Al Musharrekh prepare for a hectic autumn schedule

Matt Smith — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 09:02:09 +0000

By Matt Smith
With the brutal UAE summer mostly behind us now, things are only beginning to heat up for the main men of the UAE National Team.

A hectic schedule awaits Khalid Yousuf, Ahmad Skaik and Abdullah Al Musharrekh — along with the rest of the UAE team — as the threesome get back in the swing following the hot summer months.

They begin their autumn/winter campaign with the World Men’s Amateur Team Championships — affectionately known as the Eisenhower Trophy — where they will compete against the world’s best amateurs in Paris at the beginning of September. The event is returning following a three-year COVID-19-enforced hiatus and will be a perfect stage for the UAE amateurs to fight it out before the event heads to Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates next year.

Regarded as one of the biggest amateur competitions in the world — recent champions include Denmark’s Hojgaard twins, Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas, plus Netherlands’ Joost Luiten — the biennial match-play event takes place over four days with the two lowest scores from each team counting for each round. Le Golf National, the scene of the 2018 Ryder Cup, and Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Breteche are the courses for this year’s competition.

Following hot on the heels of the trip to Paris are the Pan Arab Championships in Tunisia, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships in Thailand, and the Nomura Cup in the Philippines — and the UAE boys are raring to go, despite less-than-ideal preparations for Skaik in particular.

Ahmad Skaik. Supplied

“To be completely honest, I am recovering from injuries, so my preparation wasn’t great,” the World Amateur No. 61 told Golf Digest Middle East following a team trip to Paris for practice at Le Golf National, and surgery on an ingrown toenail, and ahead of UAE team training in Morocco.

“Hopefully the camp in Morocco gets me ready for it. I feel a lot better and am looking forward to playing in France. We have already been over to France and played Le National but didn’t get to play the other course yet. The course is very nice and has some tough holes which will make it fun and challenging. I like the course and I think that it suits my game well.”

With these trips to France and Morocco, the UAE team are forming a strong bond, something Yousuf sees as key to success.

“The team is looking good,” the 33-year-old said. “We are all putting the practice in and we have become good friends. Despite sometimes competing against each other, there are no rivalries whatsoever between us.

“The big events that are coming up over the next few months are great as you get to test your game against the best amateurs in the world. You get to meet the future stars of the game and create friendships, both within out own team and with others.”

Skaik concurs, while still enjoying a friendly tussle with Yousuf and Al Musharrekh. “We are all good buddies but we like to have competitive matches between us which is always fun to do,” he laughed.

“Team events are very important and the more events I play like these the better it will be for my game because it will help me grow as a player and will help grow my character.”

This is a pertinent factor for Skaik, who has recently graduated university and is considering his next steps in his golfing career.

“I plan to play as many events as possible in the next year and, if all goes to plan, turn pro after the Eisenhower in Dubai in 2023,” he said.

Khalid Yousuf. Supplied

Yousuf, meanwhile, is content to use his experience to help out the others coming through the ranks in the UAE, where he has been active for more than two decades.

“I’m 33 now,” he said “I’m happy to be playing for the National Team and representing the UAE as I have done since I was 11 years old. I don’t see that changing any time soon as I am quite content with where I am.”

Yousuf has been around long enough to see the steady growth of talented golfers in the UAE over the years — with the likes of Skaik in the UAE team and also with expats such as Toby Bishop and Josh Hill, who are both heading to the States on golf scholarships this autumn following their time growing up and learning the game in Dubai.

“We hope the juniors can surpass what we have achieved and take our place as the core of the national team in the future,” Yousuf explained. “The Emirates Golf Federation is constantly growing and becoming a more important body in the golf scene, both locally and internationally.

“As for Toby and Josh, I have seen them grow from boys into young men first hand. I am always looking out to see how they are doing and I want to be first to wish them all the best in their careers.”

As Skaik himself plans for his foray into professional golf, he too has high hopes for those following in his footsteps.

“I see lots of players coming up, which is great as this means the game is still continuing to grow,” he said. “I will try my best to lead the way for the Emiratis coming up, and also the next Josh or Toby.”

With so many talented young golfers following the trio’s progress over the coming months, there will certainly be more stars representing the UAE for years to come.

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UAE get under way at Eisenhower Trophy as Japan lead the way in France

Matt Smith — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 06:38:52 +0000

Ahmad Skaik. EGF

By Matt Smith
The UAE got their 2022 World Amateur Team Championship (Eisenhower Trophy) campaign under way in Paris on Wednesday, shooting a combined 16-over score to sit tied 64th in France.

Khalid Yousuf, Ahmad Skaik and Abdullah Al Musharrekh played their first round at Saint Nom-la-Breteche, with the scores from Skaik (78)and Yousuf (82) counting towards the total — Al Musharrekh shot 92.

Japan are top of the leaderboard on 14-under thanks to a 63 from Taiga Semikawa and a 67 from Kohei Okada.

The UAE will play their second round at Le Golf National on Thursday, where the 2018 Ryder Cup was held.

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UAE ready for tee off at World Amateur Team Championship in France

Matt Smith — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 11:47:12 +0000

By Matt Smith
The UAE will line up alongside a record 71 other teams at the 32nd World Amateur Team Championship (WATC, or Eisenhower Trophy) at the Le Golf National and Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche in Paris, France, this week.

Representing the UAE will be Khalid Yousuf, Ahmad Skaik, and Abdullah Al Musharrekh.

The UAE tee off on Wednesday at 1.36pm local time (3.36pm UAE) on the Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche course, before heading to Le National on Thursday. The UAE have been paired with Serbia and the Dominican Republic for the opening two rounds.

Akram Skaik, the General Director of the Emirates Golf Federation, will be the UAE team’s non-playing captain, as Yousuf takes part in his ninth Eisenhower Trophy event. Al Musharrekh returns for his first appearance since 2012, with Skaik — the World Amateur No. 63 — rounding out the team.

“It is always a pleasure for the UAE to participate in the World Amateur Team Championship. The golf courses here in France are in great condition and we are expecting to see some great scores. Our players are ready to perform to the best of their ability. Having expectations for this event is always difficult because we are competing against the best amateur golfers in the world. It is important for our players to use the experience gained from this championship to continue their golf journey”, said General Abdullah Alhashmi the Vice Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation.

The 2022 WATC is run by the International Golf Federation (IGF) and hosted by the French Golf Federation. The event is historically known as the most prestigious team championship in amateur golf. The best two scores from teams of two or three players are calculated every 18 holes of stroke play.

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Skaik and Musharrekh poised to do UAE proud at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship

Kent Gray — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 08:02:50 +0000

Abdullah Al Musharrekh (left) and Ahmed Skaik at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore ahead of Thursday’s opening round.

By Kent Gray
The ultimate prize is dreamy – not only a start in the Masters at Augusta National but also an invite to the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush next July. But for the UAE’s Ahmed Skaik and Abdullah Al Musharrekh, simply making the 36-hole cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (ACC) in Singapore this week would be a huge win.

The duo are both playing their second AAC’s at Sentosa Golf Club with Skaik off the 10th tee in his first round at 12.40pm (8.40am UAE time) on Thursday, 10 minutes ahead of Musharrekh who in turn goes off five minutes before Dubai-domiciled Indian No.1 Rayhan Thomas begins his legitimate title challenge from the 1st tee.

Skaik missed the cut at Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand last year but has now finished his International Studies degree from the American University of Dubai which allows golf to take over as his top priority again. The big picture for the 21-year-old is to represent the UAE at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, meaning a professional career beckons. The AAC is a learning curve along the way to the paid ranks.

“It’s not been a very good season for me as the focus was more on studies,” Skaik said. “But I am now done and have started concentrating on my golf again. This is the biggest event we play all year and I have tried to prepare with it in mind.

“I have a few important events after this like the Pan Arab Games, so I am hoping all my hard work will pay off, starting this week.”

Rayhan Thomas, the Dubai-based Indian No.1, tees it up in practice at Sentosa G.C.
Photo by Joy Chakravarty

The first step is to survive Friday’s halfway cut, no cinch given the calibre of the field assembled for the 10th edition of the event, considered among the top five amateur events globally. The 120-player field is annually comprised of the top male amateurs from the 41 Asia Pacific Golf Confederation member organisations.

“The level here is pretty high. And as I said, I haven’t been playing regularly earlier in the year. But I know that if I play to my potential, I can post a good result this week,” Skaik said.

Musharrekh has just returned from South America where he was working with Abu Dhabi-based investment company Mubadala for the past four years. He played in the inaugural AAC in 2009 and need only look as far as his younger brother for motivation. Ahmed Al Musharrekh holds the record of best finish by a UAE golfer in the AAC (T-24 at even par), coincidently when Singapore last hosted the tournament in 2011.

“Ahmed played very well that year. He was very consistent and shot two sub-par rounds. That was one of the proudest moments for UAE golf. And yes, that gives me motivation,” said Abdullah.

“I was busy with my career with Mubadala and then did my national service. Golf wasn’t a priority for almost four-five years. But I am now back in the UAE and I want to be part of the national team on a regular basis.

“I am a very competitive person, so I know golf is not going to be a simple leisure sport for me.”

The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in February 2009 as a joint initiative to develop the game by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and The R&A. Yuxin Lin, at 17, became the third AAC champion from China after finishing with a birdie and eagle in the final round to win by three strokes at Royal Wellington last year.

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