The 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, organised by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A, is set to continue the event’s extensive broadcast coverage around the world. Fans will be able to tune in to the 15th anniversary of the Championship held at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Gotemba, Japan, October 3-6.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur, which aims to further develop golf in the Asia-Pacific region, is the most widely distributed amateur golf event across the world. The Championship’s high-definition broadcast includes three hours of live coverage on each of the four competition days. TBS will provide event coverage in this year’s host country of Japan. Other broadcasters include ESPN (United States and Latin America), Fox Sports (Australia), iQIYI (China), SBS Sports (Republic of Korea), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), SPOTV (Pan-Asia), SuperSport (Africa), TSN (Canada) and Warner Bros. Discovery (Europe).
Coverage runs from 14:00-17:00 local time on both Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4. Weekend coverage will air from 12:00-15:00 local time on Saturday, October 5 and 12:00-15:00 local time on Sunday, October 6. All coverage will be simulcast live on AACgolf.com, which will also feature unique video and editorial content throughout the Championship. A 30-minute highlight show will also be produced following the conclusion of the final round. The English-speaking commentary team will include Rich Lerner as host, Frank Nobilo as analyst, Paul Gow and Colt Knost as on-course reporters, and Amanda Balionis handling interviews.
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, which is comprised of the top men’s amateurs in the region, is China’s Wenyi Ding, who is fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Other top-ranked competitors include No. 35 Xihuan Chang and No. 79 Justin Bai of China, No. 70 Enrique Dimayuga of the Philippines, No. 87 Anh Minh Nguyen of Vietnam, No. 99 Quinnton Croker of Australia and No. 108 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.
Malaysia is represented by the country’s current top amateur Andrew Yap, who will be joined by Anson Yeo, Zubair Firdaus, Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid and Rizq Adam Rohizam.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in 2009 as a joint initiative between the APGC, the Masters Tournament and The R&A. 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. Other top players that have used the Asia-Pacific Amateur as a springboard to a notable professional career include Australia’s Cameron Davis and Min Woo Lee, Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan, the Republic of Korea’s Si-Woo Kim and Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Japan’s Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox. 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.
For more information, please visit www.AACgolf.com or follow enhanced coverage and exclusive content through the Championship’s official social handles on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.
