APGC Chairman Amin, who supports the claim for the unprecedented development of golf in the UAE by looking forward to the 2025 Championship being no exception to the pattern of impeccable hosting of the aforementioned prestigious tournaments, explains the growth of golf in the UAE quite well.
With the announcement of the 16 Asia-Pacific amateur golf championship, it is well understood that the Nigeria’s quest of establishing an enviable sponsorship program for golf in Dubai and golf in the World has been achieved one more step, the tournament is to be hosted at the Emirates Golf Club from October 23 to October 26 of 2025.
The announcement was made by Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), Masters Tournament, and The R&A.
It is the second round of the championship that is being contested ‘in Dubai’, following the first ever visit of the region in 2021 however this is the first time Emirates Golf Club will be the host of the said championship.
The tournament will see the best male amateur players within the Asia-Pacific region whose APGC region is represented by 43 associative APGC organizations. On top of that, the 2025 champion will book a place and compete in the following 2026 Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and will have free entry in The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. The second placed players will qualify to enter Final Qualifying for The Open.
“I think we have a great achievement of hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at the best venues in the region, and this is no different as we bring the 2025 edition at the Emirates Golf Club,” Taimur Hassan Amin the Chairman of APGC said on behalf of its Founding Partners.
“In Dubai and the UAE there was ample golf activity even the Asia-Pacific Amateur of 2021 won by Keita Nakajima was held there. We are eager to have some of the primal players of the amateur circuit visit us next year.”
Nakajima is a DP World Tour Professional and sits in the 40 position on the Race to Dubai List. In 2024, he became the champion of HERO Indian Open and finished in the 4th position of Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club.
“As such, we have witnessed the growth of golf as well as the hosting of many high profile events in the UAE and we’re looking forward to the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur being such,” Amin further stated.
Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time Asia-Pacific Amateur champion and the 2021 Masters Champion, and Cameron Smith, the 2022 Open Champion, are notable previous contestants.
Other active players who cannot be ignored after participating in the Asia Pacific Amateur, probably the tournament to turn professional are: Cameron Davis, Min Woo Lee from Australia, C. T. Pan from Chinese Taipei, Si-Woo Kim and Kyoung-Hoon Lee from South Korea, Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima from Japan, Ryan Fox from New Zealand. Winners of 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour and more than 130 tournaments on other professional tours are alumni of the Championship.
It will be an extreme delight to foster such talent from all over the Asia-Pacific region at Emirates Golf Club in 2025, said General Abdullah Al Hashmi, Vice Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation.
Chris May, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Golf, said: “It is wonderful to be present for the AAC in Tokyo. It is a great tournament and must be highlighted on a calendar of golf officials in this region. It has been wonderful talking to these all great people from The Masters, The R&A, APGC, Asian Tour and numerous Golf Federations.”
May continued that ‘We are happy to organize the coming 2025 AAC and wish to extend our hand to the players, officials and guests at Emirates Golf Club and Dubai. Plus we wish all the very best this week and can’t wait to meet worthy participants who will get opportunities to play at The Masters and The Open in 2025.”
Twenty years later in 2020, Australia’s Lucas Herbert, one of the alum of the Asia Pacific Amateur, made history by winning the Dubai Desert Classic five years after he last attended the championship.
Are you looking forward to an extraordinary adventure playing golf? Be there in Emirates Golf Club when the 2025 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship will be held, so you are in the middle of the most exciting events of the world of sports.