Business & Finance Club - Dubai: Ahmad Al Musharrakh added another feather to his cap when he became the first UAE national to qualify for the Egyptian Open which will be played at the Mirage City Golf Club in Cairo from October 20 to 23.

The number one UAE golfer posted a tidy top-five finish at the Egyptian Amateur Open at Katameya Heights Golf and Tennis Resort in Cairo on Saturday, to earn the ticket to the Egyptian Open where he will rub shoulders with a top-class field spearheaded by Northern Ireland sensation Rory McIlroy.

Al Musharrakh, who featured in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship earlier this year on a special invitation, carded rounds of 72, 76 and 72 to finish a creditable fourth on a gross total of 220, just five shots off winner Eddie Pepperell of England.

Play list

A strong field of 51 golfers, including seven from the UAE, competed in the event with the first five making it to the Egyptian Open which will see leading players on the European Challenge Tour contest for a share in the handsome $250,000 prize fund.

Other UAE players in the field included Abdullah Al Musharrakh, Saeed Malek, Nabeel Sharif, Miki Mirza, Joel Neale and Jim Prescott, but they failed to hold their nerve in a pressure situation and slipped down the leaderboard as the tournament progressed. Al Musharrakh, who played off an impressive plus two handicap, however, remained unruffled and seized the early initiative with a fine 72, that placed him a joint second, three shots behind South Africa's Thabo Maseko, who opened with a brilliant 69.

A second-round 76 slipped Al Musharrakh to tied fourth position, going into the final.

Digging deep into his reserves, Al Musharrakh kept his cool and fired a fine 72 to seal his place in the Egyptian Open while confirming his credentials as the number one UAE golfer.

"It feels great. The feeling of becoming the first UAE golfer to make it to the Egyptian Open hasn't sunk in yet," said Al Musharrakh, who is improving with every tournament.

"The competition was tough, but the key was to remain patient and concentrate on one shot a time which I did," he said.