Day 5. Emirates Golf Club Majlis: Two Birdies on the Biggest Stage
Emirates Golf Club. The Majlis. Karl Litten · 1988 · Par 72 · White Tees
Score: 96 (49-47) | Net: 78 | Stableford: 32 | Pro-Am Round 4. FINAL
Playing with: Andy Carter (1 hcp)
This is the one.
Every golfer who’s watched the Dubai Desert Classic knows this course. Tiger Woods won here. Ernie Els won here. Rory McIlroy won here. The first grass course ever built in the Middle East, opened in 1988, with the iconic Bedouin tent-shaped clubhouse rising out of the desert like a mirage.
And today. the final round of the Skillest Pro-Am. I got to play it.
Four days ago I was standing on the range at Arabian Ranches full of doubts. Three days ago I shot 107 at Yas Links and heard the fraud voice louder than ever. Two days ago I showed up at Els Club and fought my way to 94. Yesterday at Dubai Hills, I posted a 43 on the front nine. the best nine holes of my trip.
Now it’s the final. The biggest stage. The question I’ve been asking all week: Do I have what it takes?
Hole 7: The Moment
Let me skip ahead to the hole that mattered most.
The par-3 7th at the Majlis is one of the most iconic holes in Middle Eastern golf. An island green. or near enough. surrounded by water and sand, with the Bedouin tent clubhouse framing the background. If you’ve watched the Dubai Desert Classic on TV, you’ve seen this hole. Every year, it decides tournaments.
I made birdie.
Birdie on the 7th at the Majlis. On the same green where Tiger, Ernie, and Rory have stood. In the final round of the Pro-Am. With my playing partners watching.
I don’t have the perfect story about what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking. I was just playing. committed to the shot, trusting the AimPoint read, letting the putter do its work. Tee shot close, one putt, birdie. Walk off.
But I know what I felt. I felt like I belonged.
The Second Birdie
Hole 15. Another birdie. Two in one round. the first time all trip I’d made more than one birdie in a single round.
Look at the scorecard context: I was bogey-or-better on 14 of 18 holes. That’s consistency I haven’t shown all week. The Stableford was at 32. down slightly from yesterday’s 36 at Dubai Hills, but with two birdies on a harder course in a higher-pressure round. This was arguably my most complete round of the trip.
Except for one hole.
Hole 9: The Blow-Up
I don’t want to sugarcoat it. I made a 9 on the par-4 9th hole.
A 9. On the final round of the Pro-Am. Right before the turn.
Everything that could go wrong did. tee shot trouble, compounding mistakes, each one making the next one worse. It’s the golf version of a death spiral. You know it’s happening, you can’t stop it, and by the time you hole out, the damage is done.
Without that 9, I’m looking at an 87 with two birdies. That’s a different story entirely.
But here’s what I’ve learned this week, starting with that 107 at Yas Links: the blowup doesn’t define the round. What you do after it does. And what I did after a 9 on the 9th was shoot 47 on the back nine. including two birdies and solid golf on some of the hardest holes on the Majlis.
The perspective trap I wrote about at Els Club? I’m not falling for it today. This was a great round with one bad hole. Not a bad round with two lucky birdies.
The Pro-Am Final Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 49 |
| Stableford | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 6 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 47 |
| Stableford | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
Total: 96 gross | 78 net | 32 Stableford
Birdies: Hole 7 (iconic par-3) and Hole 15
Bogey or better: 14 of 18 holes
The Arc: Four Pro-Am Rounds
| Round | Course | Gross | Stableford | Birdies | Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Yas Links | 107 | 18 | 0 | Rock bottom |
| R2 | Els Club | 94 | 29 | 1 | The swing returns |
| R3 | Dubai Hills | 91 | 36 | 0 | Best round. 43 front nine |
| R4 | Majlis | 96 | 32 | 2 | Two birdies on the biggest stage |
The gross score went up from yesterday. But the birdies. the moments under pressure, on the most iconic course of the week. tell a different story. I played the Majlis. I competed. I made birdie on the 7th. And I finished the Pro-Am on my feet.
The Awards Ceremony
Thursday evening at the Skillest Pro-Am Awards. Four rounds in the books. Tournament complete.
I didn’t take home any hardware. But I took home something more valuable: proof that I can compete on world-class courses, under pressure, and come through with the shots that matter. Two birdies at the Majlis. including the iconic 7th. with my Pro-Am partners watching.
The connections mattered too. Andy Carter, who organized the entire event and played all four rounds with me. Brian Park, CEO of Skillest, who I discovered was sharper than I’d initially realized. his vision for Skillest mirrors some of what I’m building with AscenHD. Baden Schaff, Skillest founder. People from across the world, brought together by golf.
What This Day Meant
I asked at the beginning of the week: Do I have what it takes?
I still don’t have the full answer. But today gave me evidence. Two birdies on the biggest stage. Bogey-or-better on 14 of 18 holes at the Majlis. A final round that tested my composure as much as my game.
The gap between who I am in casual rounds and who I am under pressure? It’s closing. I can feel it. It’s not closed. the 9 on hole 9 proves that. but the birdies prove it’s narrowing.
This afternoon we head to The Montgomerie for a celebration round. Then tomorrow, the last day: Trump International in the morning and night golf at the Faldo Course to finish this desert grind.
Course Notes: What to Know About Emirates Golf Club. The Majlis
Location: Emirates Hills, Dubai, UAE
Designer: Karl Litten (1988)
Style: Desert championship. The first grass course in the Middle East.
Par: 72 | Length: 7,301 yards (tips)
Tournament history: Home of the Dubai Desert Classic since 1989. Winners include Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy, and Seve Ballesteros.
Signature features: Bedouin tent-shaped clubhouse. Island-style par-3 7th hole.
Best holes: 7 (iconic par-3), 18 (dramatic finishing hole)
Tip for visitors: The 7th is as nerve-wracking as it looks on TV. Take an extra club, aim center, and trust it. The water is more mental hazard than physical.
Book a tee time: emiratesgolfclub.com
This is Day 5A of the Desert Grind: 8 in 6. eight courses across Dubai and Abu Dhabi at the 2026 Skillest Pro-Am. Follow the journey.
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