Malaysian teen talent Andrew Yap is set to savour his biggest ever tournament experience when he tees off in this week’s 14th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
At age 14, Yap is the youngest player in the seven-strong Malaysian contingent and one of the youngest in the prestigious championship’s 120-player field. The third highest-ranked Malaysian in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) in 277th position, Yap will be joined at Royal Melbourne by compatriots Marcus Lim (WAGR No. 211), Malcolm Ting (WAGR No. 225), Anson Yeo (WAGR No. 292), Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid (WAGR No. 646), Nateeshvar Ganesh (WAGR No. 736) and Zubair Firdaus (WAGR No. 848).
“I’m really excited to play in the Asia-Pacific Amateur for the first time! This will be my first time competing with the top amateurs from different countries, so I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Yap, who hails from Kuala Lumpur.
Having not played Royal Melbourne before, Yap has not set any result-oriented goals for the championship which starts on Thursday.
“My aim is to play under-par for each day. I heard that the Royal Melbourne course is very windy and the fairways and greens are very firm, so I’ll need to play smart,” said Yap.
Yap has been in excellent form this year, winning numerous titles in his age group on the Srixon Malaysian Junior Development Tour and the SportExcel National Junior Golf Circuit.
A full field of 120 amateurs from 40 countries will vie for the prestigious Asia-Pacific Amateur title, which provides an invitation to the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and exemptions into The 152nd Open at Royal Troon and the 129th Amateur Championship, 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 152nd Open.
Ting will be making his second Asia-Pacific Amateur appearance, following the 2019 championship at Sheshan International Golf Club in China where he finished joint 52nd.
Lim, Yeo, Zubair and Nateeshvar took part in last year’s championship at Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand, where Yeo emerged as the best Malaysian in tied 29th place ahead of Zubair who was 32nd.
This will be the third successive Asia-Pacific Amateur campaigns for Lim and Nateeshvar, who also played in the 2021 championship at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in the United Arab Emirates. They failed to make the cut in their previous appearances.
Leading this year’s field is Japan’s Yuta Sugiura, who is 15th in the WAGR. Other top-ranked competitors include No. 17 Wenyi Ding of China, No. 30 Kazuma Kobori of New Zealand and No. 51 Yunhe “Sampson” Zheng of China. China’s Bo Jin (No. 162), last year’s runner-up and the brother of 2015 champion Cheng Jin, will also return after finishing one stroke back of champion Harrison Crowe in 2022.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in February 2009 as a joint initiative to grow the game by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, The Masters Tournament and The R&A.
Malaysia’s best finish in the Asia-Pacific Amateur is seventh, achieved by Ervin Chang in 2018 at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore and by Mohd Iszaimi Ismail in the inaugural 2009 championship at Mission Hills Golf Club in China.
Notable past competitors of the Asia-Pacific Amateur include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, a two-time winner of the championship, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia. Collectively, championship alumni have gone on to win more than 120 tournaments across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
Founded in 1891, The Royal Melbourne Golf Club is one of Australia’s oldest golf clubs. The 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur will be played over the Composite Course, which comprises twelve holes from the West Course and six holes from the East Course. The West Course was designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie, who also shaped Augusta National Golf Club. Royal Melbourne has previously held 16 men’s Australian Opens, two women’s Australian Opens, three Presidents Cups, and the 2014 Asia-Pacific Amateur when Antonio Murdaca became the first Australian to win the event.
