Amata Spring to host AAC in October

CHON BURI: The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters and the R&A announced yesterday that the 13th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) will be contested at Amata Spring Country Club in Chon Buri from Oct 27-30.

The AAC will return to Amata Spring Country Club a decade after the fourth edition of the championship was hosted there in 2012.

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 and British 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,” APGC chairman Taimur Amin, Masters chairman Fred Ridley and R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said 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.”

Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, a two-time winner of the AAC, and Cameron Smith from Australia, who won the Players Championship 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.