By Chuah Choo Chiang
At the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, the demands are simple but rather unforgiving – produce four rounds and 72 holes of near-perfect golf and the rewards can be a lifetime of memories.
Related: Why WTGL could be the right moment for women’s golf
For those who dare to dream and fulfill their potential at the right time, the thrill of winning the region’s most prestigious amateur Championship comes with coveted opportunities to compete at the Masters Tournament and The Open.
And sometimes, major glory awaits further down the fairway, with the likes of India’s Arkesh Bhatia and Anshul Mishra embracing the opportunity with open arms.
Mishra, 18, will be making his second successive appearance following an impressive tied for seventh place finish in Dubai last year while the 27-year-old Bhatia returns to the Championship after a five-year gap following his debut appearance in 2021 where he missed the halfway cut.
View this post on Instagram
The Indian duo will look to emulate Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee, who is amongst the lucky few realizing his childhood ambition following a stunning triumph 12 months ago in Dubai as he became the first Thai to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur.
Fifa then got to rub shoulders with the world’s best in the two majors this year and the 21-year-old is now eager to become only the second golfer after Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (2010 and 2011) to successfully defend his title, and relive the drive down Magnolia Lane and plan for a visit to St Andrews in 2027.
View this post on Instagram
“It’s totally an amazing experience,” Fifa said after his Masters debut last April.
“It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It’s amazing what the AAC has provided for me and for every Asia-Pacific player. I can’t wait to go to New Zealand and try to defend my title, and get to do all these things again next year. That will be so cool,” added the Thai, who is now a senior at Arizona State University.
They say golf is a marathon and not a sprint, and that proved to be the case for a luckless Taisei Nagasaki of Japan, who opened up a six-shot lead after three rounds in Dubai but faltered at the finish line.
It was heartbreak for the now 17-year-old Nagasaki, who had a five-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation play to win last October. He missed the chance, lost in extra holes before understandably breaking down in tears as his dreams of competing in the Masters and The Open vanished.
“To play in this Championship is my biggest goal of the year, and it also gives me the closest opportunity to achieve my dream of playing in the Masters. I want to overcome the disappointment I felt last year,” said Nagasaki.
“This time, I want to aim for the win from the very beginning.”
View this post on Instagram
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship returns to New Zealand for only the second time for its 17th edition, with 120 of the region’s finest amateurs from 39 Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation member organisations.
Since its inauguration in 2009, notable past competitors have included the likes of Matsuyama, Australian Cameron Smith and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who have all gone on to win major titles, proving that the Championship launched by Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, The R&A and the Masters Tournament has become a successful springboard for many rising stars.
Matsuyama became the first Asian to win the Masters in 2021 while Smith won The Open in 2022 and Fox was victorious at The Open in July.
“I owe a great debt of gratitude to Augusta National and will be eternally grateful for the opportunity to play in the Masters and helping me reach my dream to play professional golf. Winning the 2010 Asia-Pacific Amateur was life-changing,” said Matsuyama, now the winningest Asian golfer with 11 PGA Tour victories.
Note: The writer was formerly head of marcomms for the PGA Tour in Asia-Pacific and Asian Tour and now runs his own sports consultancy.
