The 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is set to take place at Dubai’s Emirates Golf Club in 2025, building on the UAE’s impressive growth in golf. The tournament, featuring top male amateurs from the Asia-Pacific region, will offer the 2025 champion an invitation to the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and an exemption into The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. The runners-up will gain entry into Final Qualifying for The Open. The announcement was made by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament, and The R&A, further enhancing the prestigious golfing legacy of Dubai and the UAE.
This will be the second time the championship is hosted in Dubai, following its regional debut in 2021. Emirates Golf Club, the most famous Golf Club in the Middle East, will serve as the host venue for the first time. The Chairman of the APGC, Taimur Hassan Amin, expressed pride in continuing the tradition of hosting the championship at world-class venues, emphasizing the rich golfing history of Dubai and the UAE. The 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was won by Keita Nakajima, a professional on the DP World Tour, who is currently ranked 40th in the Race to Dubai standings.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship has seen notable past competitors such as Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith, Cameron Davis, Min Woo Lee, C.T. Pan, Si-Woo Kim, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Takumi Kanaya, Keita Nakajima, and Ryan Fox, many of whom have launched successful professional careers. Alumni of the championship have collectively won 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour and over 130 events on major professional tours worldwide. The Vice-Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, General Abdullah Al Hashmi, expressed excitement at bringing together talent from across the Asia-Pacific region at Emirates Golf Club in 2025.
Chris May, CEO of Dubai Golf, highlighted the significance of hosting the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Tokyo. May expressed his pleasure in meeting representatives from The Masters, The R&A, the APGC, the Asian Tour, and various Golf Federations. Australia’s Lucas Herbert, an alum of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, made history by winning the Dubai Desert Classic in 2020, five years after his final appearance at the championship. The anticipation for the 2025 championship is high as the UAE continues to solidify its position as a premier golfing destination.
