Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
The MENA Golf Tour will bring its landmark 2025/26 season to a close in its UAE home with the Al Ain Championship taking place from March 30 to April 1.
The field at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club will compete in three rounds for the $100,000 prize and season-ending rankings.
The tour has enjoyed one of its most successful and captivating seasons to date, with close competition seen in Portugal and Egypt.
Events in Morocco, Jordan and Qatar are next before the leading players arrive in Al Ain for the grand finale.
The championship course has hosted the Abu Dhabi Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour for two consecutive years. Water comes into play on the majority of the holes, while several fairways run alongside Al Ain’s horse racing track, requiring precision and strong course management from competitors.
Dubai-based Garrick Porteous, who won the Abu Dhabi Challenge on the same course in 2024, is well acquainted with the challenges ahead.
“I love Al Ain, I’ve got some great memories of my HotelPlanner Tour victory there,” said the Englishman. “Really nice people, a great club and a lovely environment with all the different sports going on. It’s got some really challenging holes, especially on the back nine and if the wind blows, it can be set up quite tricky. It’s always in fantastic condition, so I always really enjoy playing there.”
A compelling local narrative centres on Ahmad Skaik, the UAE’s leading professional golfer, who holds deep familiarity and affection for the venue. Now competing as a professional, the torch-bearer for Emirati golf will shoulder national expectations in front of a home crowd during the season finale.
His progression, from the national team to the HotelPlanner Tour and now full professional status, reflects the very purpose of the MENA Golf Tour – nurturing regional talent.
“Al Ain is a place I know well and where I’ve had some great experiences. To come back here as a professional, representing the UAE at the season finale, is something really special. The MENA Tour has given players like me exactly the platform we need to develop and compete, and I want to finish the season strongly in front of a home crowd.”
Keith Waters, the Tour Chairman and Commissioner, said: “To bring the curtain down on what has been a truly outstanding season here in the UAE feels entirely right. The MENA Tour was built to serve this region and the talent within it, and the Al Ain Championship represents everything we stand for – world-class competition, a spectacular venue and a genuine pathway for the next generation of professional golfers. We cannot wait to get started.”
As the final stop in a schedule across Europe and the Middle East, the Al Ain Championship caps the season offering $100,000 prize funds and official world golf ranking points at every event.