The nation’s top amateur golfer Malcolm Ting will lead a seven-strong Malaysian challenge at the 14th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, which will be held from October 26-29 in Melbourne, Australia.
Ting, the highest-ranked Malaysian in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) in 228th position, will be joined at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club by compatriots Marcus Lim (WAGR No. 235), Anson Yeo (WAGR No. 289), Andrew Yap (WAGR No. 320), Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid (WAGR No. 627), Nateeshvar Ganesh (WAGR No. 732) and Zubair Firdaus (WAGR No. 917) as part of the 120-player field.
This will be the second year in a row that Malaysia will have seven players in the prestigious championship, which rewards the winner with an invitation to compete in the following year’s Masters Tournament and The Open. The runner(s)-up gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.
Lim, Yeo, Zubair and Nateeshvar also 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.
Zia Iqmal and Yap, who’s only 14 years old, will both be making their debuts in the championship, which was created in 2009 by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
For Ting, this will be his second Asia-Pacific Amateur outing following the 2019 championship at Sheshan International Golf Club in China where he finished joint 52nd.
“I’m really looking forward to playing in this year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne. I’ve played there before and am targeting a top-10 finish,” said Ting, who hails from the East Malaysian state of Sarawak.
Ting will take with him the invaluable experience of having participated in the AAC Academy camp at Royal Melbourne in June.
“You have to manage your game well at Royal Melbourne and be extra careful around the greens, which are really fast. It doesn’t mean that if you hit it longer, it’s better,” noted the 21-year-old.
Ting is also looking forward to reuniting with his Bonallack Trophy team-mates at Royal Melbourne. He was part of the Asia-Pacific side that retained the trophy against Europe in early August at Spain’s La Manga Club. Australia’s Jack Buchanan, China’s Sampson Zheng Yunhe, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chuan-tai, Japan’s Yuta Sugiura, New Zealanders Joshua Bai and Mako Thompson, and Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh are also playing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur.
“It was a great experience playing in a Ryder Cup-style team event with the best players from around Asia-Pacific and getting to know them. I’m looking forward to seeing my team-mates again in Melbourne and hopefully we’ll have some time to catch up,” said Ting.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur will be Ting’s final outing as an amateur as he intends to join the professional ranks after the championship.
“I plan to turn professional after the Asia-Pacific Amateur and play in the All-Thailand Tour qualifying school in November. It will be a struggle for the first few years but I’m ready to give it a try and do my best,” shared Ting, whose glittering amateur career includes an individual silver medal at this year’s Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
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.
Players from 41 APGC member organisations have accepted invitations for this year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur, highlighted by Sugiura (WAGR No. 13), China’s Wenyi Ding (WAGR No. 21), New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori (WAGR No. 30) and Thailand’s Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat (No. 41). Additionally, the 2022 runner-up, Bo Jin of China, will return.
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.
