Singapore: The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the region’s ruling golfing body, is further strengthening its ties with The R&A, the game’s global authority.

In the latest sign of collaboration between the respective organisations, the APGC has been granted exemptions for its players into The R&A Senior Amateur and The R&A Girls’ Amateur.

Taimur Hassan, the APGC Chairman, said: “It’s a fabulous gesture from The R&A which is greatly appreciated and will provide an additional incentive for our elite senior male players and our talented up-and-coming female golfers.

“It also further signals the strong bonds we have with The R&A, whose vision and support has been central to the success we’ve enjoyed with the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific.

“Together with The R&A and the Masters Tournament, the APGC created the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in 2009 to help develop golf in Asia and provide a focal point for the amateur game in an area of the world where the game’s growth has unlimited potential.

“These new opportunities present additional avenues for our talented Asian golfers to show the world just how good they are.”

The first beneficiaries of the exemptions will be the winners of this year’s Queen Sirikit Cup (Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies’ Golf Team Championship) and last year’s APGC Senior Amateur.

The 42nd edition of the Queen Sirikit Cup was due to take place last month at Indonesia’s Pondok Indah but has now been rescheduled for June 29-July 3 at the same venue. “We hope that the Coronavirus situation will have settled down by then to allow for a full entry from the Queen Sirikit Cup member countries,” said Hassan.

Members of the three-strong winning team at Pondok Indah will gain starting spots in The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at Southport & Ainsdale in England from August 11-15.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Stuart Duff will fly the flag for the region in The R&A Senior Amateur Championship at Royal Cinque Ports, Deal in England from July 29-31. Duff was the winner of the 2019 APGC Senior Amateur, staged at Malaysia’s Sungai Long.