The AAC Flag and India’s best ever finisher, Rayhan Thomas.
CHONBURI, Thailand, May 11: The most popular amateur event in Asia, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) will be held at the acclaimed Amata Spring Country Club a decade after the fourth edition of the championship was hosted there in 2012. The event will be held from October 27-30, 2022.
The 2022 edition will be the 13th edition of the competition supported by The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A. Created in 2009, the AAC was established to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
The champion 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.
India’s best ever result has been the runner-up place secured by Rayhan Thomas, who is now at the Oklahoma State University, which has produced numerous PGA Tour stars.
The players are selected on the basis of the World Amateur Golf Rankings and India has regularly been represented at the event.
The last time Amata Spring hosted the event, Guan Tianlang earned a historic victory over future PGA Tour winners C.T. Pan (runner-up), Hideki Matsuyama (fourth) and Cameron Smith (T-7) and became the youngest player to win the AAC at 14 years old. He later became the youngest player to compete, and make the cut, at the Masters Tournament in 2013.
“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 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.”
The roster of 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.
Apart from the big winners lkike Matsuyama and Smith, the AAC Championship has served as a springboard to many other of the world’s top players, PGA Tour winners Pan, Smith, Cameron Davis, Lucas Herbert, Si Woo Kim, Satoshi Kodaira and Kyoung-Hoon Lee.
“We are thrilled to once again 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 designed by Lee Schmidt and established in 2005. In addition to previously 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.
See also:
Jaglan finishes 11th as Nakajima wins Asia Pacific in a play-off
