Ahmad Skaik says he will feel no extra pressure when he tees it up as a professional for the first time this week.
The 28-year-old left-hander opted to turn pro after finishing 13th at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last month.
That tournament is the region’s biggest amateur tournament and carried with it a place at the Masters and Open for its winner, Fifa Laopakdee.
Skaik only dropped out of the top 10 in that event on the closing holes. That performance, within such a strong field, was an endorsement of his long-held ambition to play the game professionally.
Pro golf has not been a career pursued by many Emirati players in the past. Ahmed Al Musharrek was the first, but struggled to make his mark.
Skaik has been the talisman of the UAE national team for years, where his colleagues have termed him “captain”.
Now he will be carrying the flag on the professional scene, starting at the PGA Aroeira Challenge in Lisbon this week.
“I've felt it my whole life, so it's not any added pressure,” Skaik said of the responsibility of representing the UAE.
“I just play my game. At the end of the day, I'm just playing for myself, first of all. On the course, I just think about the next shot. Everything that comes outside is just a bonus.”
The tournament in Portugal is the first of 12 events on the Mena Golf Tour, offering $100,000 in prize funds and official World Golf Ranking points.
The tour has produced multiple DP World Tour winners over its 14-year history, such as European Ryder Cup star Robert McIntyre, and South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence.
With events scheduled across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, it is an ideal place for Skaik to start.
“[It provides] more tournaments for us to play, to compete, especially around our area. I'm very excited for that,” Skaik said.
“I'm also playing the Asian Tour Qualifying School final stage, so that will be a very big goal for me. I want to finish top 35 so I can get my Tour card. Hopefully, [I can get] maybe a win or two before going there.
“I always wanted to turn pro, but I just waited for the Asian Pacific. Obviously, that performance gave me the answer that I'm ready to turn pro.
“I've had a pretty good season. I've had some good finishes and a good win. My game, I feel like it's coming together. It's good to turn pro and have this as my first event.”
