ASIAN GOLF INDUSTRY FEDERATION

Asia-Pacific Amateur Returns to Thailand

AAC 2012 Trophy 301012 017
Ten years after hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship for the first time, Amata Spring Country Club will again stage the event in October, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/AAC.

Chonburi, Thailand: Ten years after staging the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) for the first time, Amata Spring Country Club will once more host the region’s premier men’s amateur event.

A decade after the fourth edition of the championship was hosted there in 2012, the 13th AAC will take place at the award-winning Lee Schmidt-designed course from October 27-30.

Created by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A in 2009, the AAC was established to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.

The champion at Amata Spring will receive an invitation to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament and The 151st Open, while the runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.

“We look forward to bringing the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship back to Amata Spring Country Club and gathering the region’s top players at this exceptional venue once again,” said Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the APGC, Fred Ridley, Chairman of the Masters Tournament, and Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, in a joint statement.

“This year will be a special opportunity to build on the growth we’ve seen in amateur golf over the last 10 years since the event was last held in Thailand. We are grateful to our hosts in the region as we work together to promote the game’s development and provide pathways for talented amateurs across the Asia-Pacific,” they added.

Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the AAC, and Cameron Smith, who won The Players in March and is currently the fourth-ranked player in the world. Collectively, AAC alumni have gone on to win 21 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date.

“We are thrilled to host the 2022 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship,” said Andrew Yau, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amata Spring Country Club. “Amata Spring is excited to present a challenging test for the best amateur golfers across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Amata Spring Country Club was established in 2005. In addition to hosting the AAC in 2012, the course has provided the backdrop for prestigious events such as the LPGA Thailand, the Thailand Golf Championship and the Royal Trophy team event.

China’s Guan Tianlang earned a historic victory at the 2012 AAC over future PGA Tour winners CT Pan (runner-up), Matsuyama (fourth) and Smith (tied seventh) when he became the youngest player to win the AAC at 14 years old. In 2013, became the youngest player to compete, and make the cut, at the Masters Tournament.

“Hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is a unique opportunity to support the game of golf in Thailand as the talent in our country continues to grow,” said Rungsrid Luxsitanonda, President of the Thailand Golf Association. “We are proud to invite the top amateurs from across the region back to Thailand and Amata Spring and look forward to another exciting edition of the AAC.”

Over the AAC’s 13-year history, the championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including future PGA Tour winners Matsuyama, Pan, Smith, Cameron DavisLucas HerbertKim Si-wooSatoshi Kodaira and Lee Kyoung-hoon.

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