The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship hasn’t been played since 2019 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. When it returns this week, it should resonate a little louder with players than it did in its first 11 iterations.
The goal of the championship, co-sanctioned by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and the R&A, was always to open a pipeline from countries in the Asia-Pacific region of the world to the highest echelon of golf, namely the PGA Tour. The AAC, which awards a Masters invitation to its winner, was supposed to identify up-and-coming talent from the region and with two-time champion Hideki Matsuyama, at least, it did that. In April, Matsuyama became the first player to convert an AAC title into a Green Jacket. He also became the first player from Japan to win the Masters.
“It’s thrilling to think that there are a lot of youngsters in Japan watching today,” Matsuyama told media after winning the 2021 Masters. “Hopefully in five, ten years, when they get a little older, hopefully some of them will be competing on the world stage.”
Some might even be in this year’s AAC field. In preparation for this week’s tournament, to be played Nov. 3-6 at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in Dubai, here are some noteworthy storylines to watch.
