Asia Pacific Amateur showcases stunning Te Arai Links
The stunning backdrop at Te Arai Links – image Asia Pacific Amateur Championship
The Asia Pacific Amateur Championship will be played for the 17th time this week, when the event gets underway on Thursday at the highly regarded South Course at Te Arai Links at Mangawhai Heads, north of Auckland.
First played in 2009 when won by South Korean Hang Chang-won at the Mission Hills Golf Club in China, the event brings together 120 players from 39 different countries from the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, not only this increasingly prestigious title up for grabs but also a start at the 2027 Masters Tournament and Open Championship, provided the winner remains an amateur.
The most successful of those who have won the title is undoubtedly Hideki Matsuyama, who won two of the first three editions of the event and then made the cut at the Masters on both occasions as an amateur before turning professional and winning the event in 2021.
China has the most victories in the event, with its golfers winning on five occasions, Japan and Australia have four each, South Korea two and Thailand one.
The South Course at Te Arai was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and promises to provide a brilliant centrepiece of the coverage this week, given its location alongside the Pacific Ocean and the backdrop of several islands framing the scene.
The two leading world-ranked amateur male players in the field, are both Australasian. Queenslander, Harry Takis, now at college in the US, is the highest ranked, followed by New Zealand’s Zack Swanwick, another US college attendee, and so the opportunity exists for Australia to join China as the leading country in terms of wins in the event, while a win by Swanwick would provide New Zealand with their first win and in their homeland.
Harry Takis in practice today – image APAC
New Zealand’s Zack Swanwick during a media conference today – image APAC
Defending champion, Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand, who won in Dubai last year, is the third highest ranked amateur in the field.
The incentive of a victory providing access to both the Masters and the Open Championship has proven a great opportunity for young emerging golfers to compete against the world’s elite; the efforts by 2010 and 2011 champion Matsuyama and 2012 champion Guan Tianlang to make the cut at Augusta National are of particular note.
The inclusion in the Open Championship field for the winner was added in 2018, after an invitation to Final Qualifying only was previously available.
Funded almost totally by Augusta National, which uses the significant funds generated by the Masters Tournament to support the game internationally, including this and other leading amateur events, such as the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and Latin America Amateur Championships.
The event is played over 72 holes with a cut to the leading 60 players through 36 holes.
