UAE To Host The 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship At Emirates Golf Club In Dubai

The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship will return to Dubai in 2025, marking its second appearance in the Middle East. The event, organised by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament, and The R&A, will take place at Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis Course from 23-26 October. This prestigious tournament features top male amateurs from the Asia-Pacific region, representing 43 affiliated organisations.

The winner of the 2025 championship will earn a spot in the following year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and an exemption into The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. Those finishing as runners-up will have a chance to compete in the Final Qualifying for The Open. Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of APGC, expressed pride in hosting the event at such a renowned venue.

Dubai has a significant history with golf, including hosting the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur won by Keita Nakajima. General Abdullah Al Hashmi, Vice Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, stated that bringing together talent from across the Asia-Pacific region to Emirates Golf Club is an honour. The UAE has witnessed substantial growth in golf and numerous prestigious tournaments over the years.

The Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club was designed by Karl Litten and opened in 1988 as the first grass course in the Middle East. Located south of downtown Dubai, it offers views of the city skyline. Annually, it hosts the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, won by legends like Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods.

Past competitors include Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time Asia-Pacific Amateur winner and 2021 Masters champion, and Cameron Smith, who won The 150th Open. Other notable players who began their careers here include Cameron Davis and Min Woo Lee from Australia, C.T. Pan from Chinese Taipei, Si-Woo Kim and Kyoung-Hoon Lee from Korea, Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima from Japan, and Ryan Fox from New Zealand.

These alumni have collectively secured 27 PGA Tour victories and over 130 wins on major professional tours worldwide. Lucas Herbert became the first alum to win the Dubai Desert Classic in 2020 after his final appearance at this championship five years earlier.

The championship continues to be a stepping stone for many aspiring golfers aiming for professional success. With its return to Dubai's iconic Majlis Course in 2025, it promises another exciting chapter for golf enthusiasts worldwide.

With inputs from WAM