Five of Malaysia’s leading amateurs will fly the colours of the ‘Jalur Gemilang’ in the 15th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, which starts at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan tomorrow.
The nation’s top-ranked male amateur at 349th position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), teenager Andrew Yap, will be joined in the prestigious championship by compatriots Anson Yeo (WAGR 435), Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid (WAGR 572), Zubair Firdaus (WAGR 618) and Rizq Adam Rohizam (WAGR 673).
Yap will be keen to improve on his debut appearance last year at Royal Melbourne, where he missed the cut. Still only 15, he has been in solid form recently and finished seventh in the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Junior Championship in the Philippines in early September. The previous month, Yap picked up individual and team bronze medals at the 2024 Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA).
Yeo will be making his third Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship start, having finished 67th at Royal Melbourne in 2023 and T29 at Amata Spring in 2022. Earlier this year, the 18-year-old won the North Sumatera Amateur Open in Indonesia. He also won the men’s individual gold medal and team silver at the SUKMA Games in his home state of Sarawak.
Zubair, 22, made the cut in in each of the past two Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships in Australia (T41) and Thailand (T32). Currently in his senior year with San Jose State University, Zubair has enjoyed a solid 2023-2024 collegiate golf season including a T11 finish at this year’s The Goodwin.
25-year-old Zia will be making his second appearance in the championship, having missed the cut in his debut last year. He has won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events this year in Malaysia, including the recent Perak Amateur Open.
Rizq is also making his second championship start with his first outing coming in 2021 at Dubai Creek, where he failed to make the cut. The 18-year-old is in his freshman year with the Missouri University of Science & Technology.
Malaysia’s best finish in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is seventh, achieved by Marcus Lim last year at Royal Melbourne, Ervin Chang in 2018 at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, and Mohd Iszaimi Ismail in the inaugural 2009 championship at Mission Hills Golf Club in China.
A full field of 120 amateurs from 40 countries will vie for the prestigious title, which provides an invitation to the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and exemptions into The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush and the 129th Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s, provided the champion retains his amateur status. The runner(s)-up will earn a spot into The Open Qualifying Series with the opportunity to earn a place in The 153rd Open.
Leading this year’s field is China’s Wenyi Ding, who is fourth in the WAGR. Other top-ranked competitors include No. 35 Xihuan Chang and No. 79 Justin Bai of China, No. 69 Enrique Dimayuga of the Philippines, No. 84 Anh Minh Nguyen of Vietnam, No. 97 Quinnton Croker of Australia and No. 109 Rintaro Nakano of Japan. Last year’s champion, Australian Jasper Stubbs, will also return after competing in the Masters Tournament and The 152nd Open at Royal Troon this year.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in 2009 as a joint initiative between the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A, with the aim of further developing golf in the Asia-Pacific region. Notable past competitors include Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur and the 2021 Masters champion, and Cameron Smith, champion of The 150th Open.
Collectively, alumni of the Championship have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 events across major professional tours. The Championship returns for the second time to Japan, which hosted the second edition of the event in 2010. Taiheiyo Club Gotemba, located at the base of Mount Fuji, will host the Championship for the first time.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is the most widely distributed amateur golf event across the world, with its high-definition broadcast including three hours of live coverage on each of the four competition days. A 30-minute highlight show will also be produced following the conclusion of the final round.
