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Teenage stars Rayan Ahmed and Abdulla Kalbat to represent the UAE at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
Players from 38 APGC member organizations have accepted invitations for the Japan event with 113 players confirmed for the 120-player field
Rayan Ahmed will represent the UAE in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan in October.. - Supplied photo
The UAE will indeed be represented by two promising young golfers, Rayan Ahmed and Abdulla Kalbat, at the 15th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
This prestigious event will be held from October 3rd to 6th at the Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Gotemba, Japan. It's an excellent opportunity for Rayan and Abdulla, with 17-year-olds, to showcase their skills on a global stage.
Rayan and Abdulla will be joined by representatives from other regional nations, including Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Established in 2009 by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A, and the Masters Tournament, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship aims to promote and develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
The stakes are high, with the champion being invited to compete in the prestigious 2025 Masters Tournament and The 153rd Open. Additionally, the runner(s)-upwill secure a spot in the Final Qualifying for The Open, further elevating the significance of this competition for the participants.
Players from 38 APGC member organizations have accepted invitations with 113 players confirmed thus far for the 120-player field.
The field is highlighted by defending champion Jasper Stubbs of Australia and four players representing China inside the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. They are Wenyi Ding (No. 4), Xihuan Chang (No. 36), Xiangyun Bai (No. 61) and Paul Chang (No. 97).
Ding finished runner-up to Stubbs in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur while Xihuan Chang reached the semifinals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in July. Other top-100 participants include Vietnam’s Anh Minh Nguyen (No. 68) and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano (No. 78).
In addition, eight players in this year’s field have been named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup International Team: Joshua Bai, Warut Boonrod, Xihuan Chang, Rayhan Latief, Khanh Hung Le, Thanawin Lee, Anh Minh Nguyen and Kartik Singh.
“Winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur and also being able to compete at two major championships has made this year very special. I cannot wait to return and defend my title in Japan,” said Stubbs.
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith.
Over the Championship’s 14-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including Matsuyama, Smith, Cameron Davis, Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Satoshi Kodaira, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Min Woo Lee, C.T. Pan and Keita Nakajima who won the 2021 event at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.
Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
As the host nation, Japan will lead the list of up to 43 APGC member nations represented with 10 players in this year’s field.
A player from Japan has won four of the 14 editions of the Championship (Matsuyama/2010, 2011; Takumi Kanaya/2018; Nakajima/2021).
Designed in 1977 by Shunsuke Kato, Taiheiyo Club Gotemba underwent a renovation in 2018 and was overseen by Rees Jones with consultation from Hideki Matsuyama.
The hillside course, situated 100 kilometres southwest of Tokyo, features views of Mount Fuji.
The flagship of Taiheiyo Club’s 18 golf courses, Gotemba has hosted several international events, including the Taiheiyo Masters, the ISPS HANDA Championship and the 2001 World Cup of Golf won by South Africa’s Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.
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