Anticipation is rising as five UAE golfers gear up for a historic outing at the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, taking place on the celebrated Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club from 23–26 October 2025.
Representing the UAE will be Ahmad Skaik, Rayan Ahmad, Abdulla Kalbat, Jonathan Selvaraj and Sam Mullane. The prestigious Championship returns to the UAE for only the second time, having last been held at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in 2021.
Ahead of the tournament, four of the players met with the local media at Emirates Golf Club to discuss their preparations, signalling a landmark moment for the Middle East’s first grass course. The inclusion of five UAE players surpasses the previous record of four participants in the Championship.
For Skaik, the week carries emotional weight. The 28-year-old is set for his sixth Championship appearance, which will also serve as his final event before embarking on a professional career. Skaik has previously competed at elite tournaments including the Dubai Desert Classic and Abu Dhabi Championship, and earlier this year became the first Emirati to make the cut in a European Tour group-sanctioned event while competing on the HotelPlanner Tour.
“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 are eager to make their debuts in the Championship. Mullane comes into the event with strong form, having claimed victories at the Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai Amateur Open and the 2025 Cedars Golf Championship. Selvaraj also arrives with impressive credentials, boasting wins 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.”
The UAE contingent is completed by Kalbat and Ahmad, both 18 years old, who are returning for their second appearances after competing at last year’s edition at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan. Ahmad impressed by making the cut and 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.”
Founded in 2009 by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created to foster the growth of amateur golf in the region.
The winner will earn a place at the 2026 Masters Tournament and receive an exemption into The 154th Open, while the runner(s)-up will qualify for The Open Qualifying Series, and the top three finishers will gain entry into The 131st Amateur Championship.
Over the past 15 years, the Championship has paved the way for future stars including 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, 2018 champion Takumi Kanaya, 2021 champion Keita Nakajima, Australia’s Cameron Davis and Min Woo Lee, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, the Republic of Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan. Collectively, Asia-Pacific Amateur alumni have amassed 33 PGA Tour titles and more than 140 victories across global professional tours.
The Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club, designed by Karl Litten and inaugurated in 1988 as the first grass course in the Middle East, lies south of downtown Dubai and boasts striking skyline views. The course hosts the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, won by legends such as Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els, who holds the course record of 61. Notably, alumnus Lucas Herbert claimed the Dubai Desert Classic title in 2020, five years after his final appearance at the Asia-Pacific Amateur. This will be the first time Emirates Golf Club has hosted the Championship.
