Singapore: A record 120-player field will compete in the Asian Amateur Championship which begins Thursday at the New Course of The Singapore Island Country Club. The third edition of the 72-hole stroke play event jointly organised by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and The R&A will feature top male amateur golfers from 35 APGC member nations and territories.
An invitation to play in the 2012 Masters Tournament awaits the winner, while both the winner and the runner(s)-up will earn a place in International Final Qualifying – Asia for The Open Championship next year.
The leading contenders include defending champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan who is currently ranked fifth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Matsuyama, who enjoyed a triumphant maiden appearance at the Masters Tournament in April when he won the coveted Silver Cup is as the highest placed amateur who made the cut, acknowledges the competition will be tough at SICC.
“I would like to win the tournament but at the same time I just want to play well. If I play well, I will be able to have a good chance [at winning],” he said.
Making his third appearance at the tournament is 2009 runner-up Eric Chun, who brings a wealth of experience with him after he made it through International Final Qualifying for The Open to earn a place at St Andrews in 2010 as well Australia’s national open winner Matthew Stieger and New Zealander Ryan Fox, who is the second highest ranked player in the field at No. 21.
Malaysia is well represented in the field with 6 players, including top ranked amateurs Mohamad Hisyam Abdul Majid, Kenneth Christian John De Silva, Abel Tam and up-and-coming juniors Low Khai Jei, Paul San, and Jeremiah Kim.
Host Singapore will have the lion share of the participants with 10 in all including Joshua Shou, Lam Zhiqun, Marc Ong, Johnson Poh, Gregory Foo, Tze Huang Choo, Melvin Chew, Jerome Ng, George Foo and Joshua Ho.
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macau, Solomon Islands and Qatar will be participating for the first time in the marquee event while Pakistan will be represented by the father-son duo of Taimur and Hamza Amin for the second year running.
Kwangsoo Hur, President of the APGC, said: “Our previous two Asian Amateur Championships have been a wonderful success and provided an outstanding showcase for the region’s best amateur golfers. I am delighted that this year sees the biggest field we have ever had with 120 of Asia’s finest players competing. There is no doubt that the rewards provided through the support of Masters Tournament and The R&A will not only benefit our 2011 field, but will inspire the next generation to strive to reach this level.”
Invitations for the championship are sent to the leading players from the APGC-member countries. Each country is automatically provided with two positions, which are to be filled by their highest-ranked players from the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). If there is only one or no players from a member country in the rankings, they are able to nominate one or two players accordingly provided the player/s have a handicap of 5.4 or less.
The remainder of the field is filled by taking the next highest ranked players from the WAGR with the maximum number of players allowed from a country being six. The only exception is for the host country, which is allowed to nominate an additional four players.
