Invitations to compete in the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship were sent last month and 116 players to date have been confirmed for the Championship, which will be held October 23-26, 2025, at Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis Course in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Anson Yeo, the leading Malaysian golfer on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), will spearhead the country’s seven-man challenge in Dubai alongside Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid, Hariz Hezri, Maverick Chua, Farez Azihan, Joshua Lim and Zubair Firdaus.
Created in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region. The champion will receive an invitation to the 2026 Masters Tournament and an exemption into The 154th Open; the runner(s)-up will receive an exemption into The Open Qualifying Series; the top-three finishers will receive an exemption into The 131st Amateur Championship.
This will be Yeo’s fourth successive appearance in the prestigious tournament (T47/2024, 67th/2023, 29th/2022), as with Zubair (MC/2024, T41/2023, T32/2022). Zia Iqmal will be making third start (MC/2024, MC/2023) while Hariz will enjoy his second appearance (MC/2022). Chua, Lim and Farez will savour their debuts as the seven golfers aim to deliver a first victory for Malaysia in the Asia-Pacific Amateur.
“I’m excited to play in my fourth Asia-Pacific Amateur,” said the 19-year-old Yeo, who is presently ranked No. 240 on the WAGR. “Playing in the Masters and The Open is every golfer’s dream and knowing the winner will get the opportunity is an incredible motivation. It will push me to work harder and do well in Dubai.”
Winner of 10 titles including four victories this year, Yeo hopes to use his past experiences in the region’s premier men’s amateur competition to improve on his career best 29th place finish. “Everyone sees it as the biggest stage for amateurs in Asia-Pacific. It not only gives us the chance to compete at the highest level, but this will also motivate upcoming juniors,” said Yeo.
“Each year, I’ve been able to pick up new lessons, which has helped me grow as a golfer and build confidence,” added the Malaysian, whose accolades include being a member of the International Team for the 2022 Junior Presidents Cup.
Chua, who has five amateur wins under his belt, is eager to tee up for the first time against the regions’ top golfers. “I’m really excited for my first Asia-Pacific Amateur. It’s a great opportunity to test myself against the top players,” he said. “Knowing that the winner gets to play in two of the biggest major championships in golf will push me to give my best. Just having the chance to play in this event already feels very special.”
Players from 42 APGC member organizations have accepted invitations with 116 players confirmed thus far for the 120-player field. The field is highlighted by Harry Takis of Australia, 2024 runner-up Ziqin Zhou of China, Kent Hsiao of Chinese Taipei, Jeffrey Shen of Hong Kong, China, Rayhan Latief of Indonesia, Taisei Nagasaki, Taishi Moto and Rintaro Nakano of Japan, and Fifa Laopakdee, Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat and Chanachon Chokprajakchat of Thailand. Representatives from four countries have claimed titles at the Asia-Pacific Amateur, including China with five victories, Australia and Japan with four each and the Republic of Korea with two.
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Over the Championship’s 15-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including Matsuyama, 2018 champion Takumi Kanaya and 2021 champion Keita Nakajima of Japan, Smith, Cameron Davis and Min Woo Lee of Australia, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, the Republic of Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan. Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win 33 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 140 events across major professional tours.
As the host nation, the United Arab Emirates are projected to have five representatives in the field led by 17-year-old Abdulla Kalbat and five-time participant Ahmad Skaik.
Designed by Karl Litten and established in 1988 as the first grass course in the Middle East, Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis Course is located south of downtown Dubai and enjoys views of the city’s skyline. The Majlis Course annually serves as the host of the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, an event won by the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els, the latter of which owns the course record of 61. Australia’s Lucas Herbert won the Dubai Desert Classic in 2020 to become the first alum to win the event five years after his final appearance at the Asia-Pacific Amateur. Emirates Golf Club will host the Asia-Pacific Amateur for the first time.
Thailand's Namo Luangnitikul blazed the course en route to seizing the second round lead at the ASEAN Templer Park CC 39th Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open on Wednesday.
The 16-year-old Phuket native carded seven birdies in a scintillating round of 66 to open up a five-shot advantage on six-under-par at the Templer Park Country Club.
Overnight leader Zi Yu rued a late collapse as back-to-back bogeys on the 17th and 18th saw her settle for an even-par 72 effort to sit second on one-under-par.
Another Thai, Kanyarak Pongpithanon, was third on even-par following a second consecutive 72, while Malaysia's Wang Xin Yao was a shot back following a 72 of her own.
Luangnitikul was hot off the blocks, trading three birdies against a bogey to make the turn on 34. Following another gain on the 10th, she turned on the heat in her final five holes with three birdies to pull away from the chasing pack.
"Pleasantly surprised with my round today. I wasn't hitting as many greens on the front nine, but I found some rhythm with my approach shots after the turn and just drained some big putts coming home. Happy with my putting on the back nine and hopefully, I can carry that form to tomorrow's final round," said Luangnitikul.
With three runner-up finishes at the ANNIKA Invitational, Thailand Ladies Amateur Open and the Vietnam Amateur Open in recent months, Luangnitikul is hopeful of breaking the duck and claiming a regional amateur championship crown.
"My game has been trending positively recently, and I've come close to winning in several championships. I'm feeling good about my game and I'm just going to try my best tomorrow," she added.
Foong, on the other hand, believes she has her work cut out as she seeks to continue Malaysia's winning run in the championship.
"Today was hard. My ball striking was good but had a couple of holes where if the putts had dropped, the scoreline would have been a lot different. I know it's not the finish I wanted, but in golf anything can happen, and I'm going to turn my attention to the final round tomorrow and come back stronger," said the 20-year-old University of Nevada, Las Vegas sophomore.
Conducted by the Malaysian Ladies Golf Association (MALGA), the 39th edition of the prestigious annual championship boasts 80 participants from eight ASEAN nations as well as seven other Asia-Pacific countries.
Holding a C-rating on the R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), the championship is recognised as the highest-ranked women's amateur golf tournament in Malaysia.
In conjunction with Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, the Ministry of Youth & Sports Malaysia (KBS), through Perbadanan Padang Golf Subang (PPGS), is proud to collaborate with MALGA in co-organising this year's championship in line with Malaysia's commitment to strengthening regional integration and solidarity through sports.
At its core, the championship aims to foster the spirit of sportsmanship, unity and mutual understanding - values central to ASEAN co-operation.
Templer Park Country Club - a long-time supporter of amateur golf in the country - marks its third and final year as the title sponsor and host venue of the championship.
Leading second round scores (Par-72)
138 - Namo Luangnitikul (THA) 72-66
143 - Foong Zi Yu (MAS) 71-72
144 - Kanyarak Pongpithanon (THA) 72-72
145 - Wang Xin Yao (MAS) 73-72
147 - Elaine Widjaja (INA) 74-73
148 - Anjanette Tan (SGP) 78-70, Arnie Pauline Taguines (PHI) 76-72, Sydnie Ng (SGP) 72-76
149 - Samantha Marie-Albert Dizon (PHI) 75-74
150 - Rayi Geulis Zullandari (INA) 76-74, Ting-Hsuan Huang (TPE) 76-74
Malaysia's Mirabel Ting has capped off a standout collegiate season by becoming the first Malaysian to win the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel.
The award is given annually to the top female golfer within the NCAA Division I. Becoming the first player from Florida State University to earn the honour, she also receives an exemption into the Amundi Evian Championship in France this summer.
The college junior from Miri, Sarawak delivered a stellar performance throughout the season, winning five tournaments and never finishing worse than sixth in eight starts. Her momentum carried into the postseason, where she finished tied third at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship, runner-up at the NCAA Lexington Regional, and runner-up again at the NCAA Championship with a 10-under-par 278 final score.
Ting also led the Seminoles to their first ACC team title and was named ACC Women’s Golfer of the Year. She entered the NCAA Championship ranked No. 1 in the Scoreboard NCAA rankings and No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Malaysia's Foong Zi Yu is in the driver's seat following the opening round of the ASEAN Templer Park CC 39th Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open on Tuesday.
A late birdie on the 17th hole saw the 2023 Southeast Asia (SEA) Games bronze medallist sign for a one-under 71 to sit on top of the leaderboard at the demanding Templer Park Country Club outside Kuala Lumpur.
One shot off the pace were Thai pair of Kanyarak Pongpithanon and Namo Luangnitikul, as well as Singaporean teenage prodigy Sydnie Ng, who returned identical 72s.
Pre-tournament favourite Wang Xin Yao of Malaysia was in solo fifth following a 73, with Indonesia's Elaine Widjaja a further shot back.
Foong, making her fourth MLAO appearance, was pleased with her effort as the only player to break par in challenging conditions at Templer Park.
After a bogey on the third, she birdied the sixth hole to make the turn on level-par but had to wait until the tail-end of the round to move into red numbers.
"A good day's work, but I had to be patient out there. I was giving myself chances, but couldn't convert them. So I paced myself and managed to snag another birdie late on," said the University of Nevada, Las Vegas sophomore.
"I think it would be important to manage expectations and stay focused on playing my game one shot at a time. I think the only real advantage is that I've played this golf course since my junior days, so I feel very much at home here," she added.
Singapore's Ng was happy to be in the mix but believes she can improve on her decision-making on the course. She was two-under through 14 holes before conceding bogeys on the 15th and 17th holes.
"I think I had the momentum on the front nine, but was a little bit doubtful with my approach distance throughout the round. I need to trust my numbers and commit to the shots in the next two rounds," said the 14-year-old.
Conducted by the Malaysian Ladies Golf Association (MALGA), the 39th edition of the prestigious annual championship boasts 80 participants from eight ASEAN nations as well as seven other Asia-Pacific countries.
Holding a C-rating on the R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), the championship is recognised as the highest-ranked women's amateur golf tournament in Malaysia.
In conjunction with Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, the Ministry of Youth & Sports Malaysia (KBS), through Perbadanan Padang Golf Subang (PPGS), is proud to collaborate with MALGA in co-organising this year's championship in line with Malaysia's commitment to strengthening regional integration and solidarity through sports.
At its core, the championship aims to foster the spirit of sportsmanship, unity and mutual understanding - values central to ASEAN co-operation.
Templer Park Country Club - a long-time supporter of amateur golf in the country - marks its third and final year as the title sponsor and host venue of the championship.
Leading first round scores (Par-72)
71 - Foong Zi Yu (MAS)
72 - Kanyarak Pongpithanon (THA), Namo Luangnitikul (THA), Sydnie Ng (SGP)
73 - Wang Xin Yao (MAS)
74 - Elaine Widjaja (INA)
75 - Samantha Marie-Albert Dizon (PHI), Juwon Kim (NZL), Guntas Kaur Sandhu (IND), Aaradhya Shetty (IND)
They call Hoi An the city of lanterns and it was Jeneath Wong who shone brightest en route to winning the seventh edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship.
With a skillful and courageous display of front-running, the 20-year-old wrote her name into the record books as the first Malaysian winner of the region’s pre-eminent women’s amateur championship.
Three shots clear of the field overnight, Wong illuminated Hoiana Shores Golf Club with an unflustered closing round of three-under-par 68 – her fourth successive sub-70 return over the links-style layout.
After a tense and intriguing battle with Korean playing partners Soomin Oh and Sumin Hong that went right down to the wire, it was the diminutive Malaysian who was walking tallest.
Tied at the top with World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) number nine Oh with two holes remaining, two-time All-American Wong, who is in her third year at Pepperdine University in California and is nicknamed ‘Pocket Dynamite’, found another gear.
With Oh and Hong within birdie range at the par-3 17th, Wong launched a stunning seven-iron that came within inches of a hole-in-one, a tap-in birdie enabling her to regain a one-stroke lead to take to the par-5 last hole.
While Oh made the green in two and had a 35-foot putt for eagle, Wong was 40 yards short of the putting surface. From there she struck a precise pitch for her third shot, her ball coming to rest four feet below the hole.
After watching Oh’s attempt for a three slip agonisingly past the cup, Wong coolly slotted home her birdie putt to set the seal on one of the finest-ever performances by a Malaysian amateur.
Having been embraced by her local caddie, Wong was then engulfed by her Malaysian team-mates and members of the Australian team with whom she grew up, having moved to Melbourne, Victoria when aged ten.
With rounds of 65, 69, 64 and 68 at Hoiana Shores, Wong’s 72-hole aggregate of 18-under 266 was the lowest winning total in WAAP history, surpassing the 270 total of Chinese Taipei’s Chun-wei Wu in Thailand last year. Over the course of the four days in Vietnam, Wong made 24 birdies against just four bogeys and one double-bogey.
Wong, 123rd in the latest WAGR® standings, also became the first non-teenager to win the region’s most prestigious women’s amateur title. Wu was previously the eldest winner at 19 years, two months and five days.
“It’s unreal. I’m in shock,” said Wong, who received the Rae-Vadee T. Suwan champion’s medal and earns places in three major championships in 2025 – the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, The Chevron Championship in Texas and Amundi Evian Championship in France.
“It’s really exciting, giving me the experience to play in those top LPGA tournaments that I want to play in the future,” said Wong, who joins Thais Jeeno Thitikul and Eila Galitsky, Japanese Yuka Yasuda and Mizuki Hashimoto, and Chinese Taipei’s Ting-Hsuan Huang and Wu on the WAAP roll of honour.
Wong already has considerable top-level experience having competed in the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2023, also reaching the match play stages of The 120th Women’s Amateur, US Women’s Amateur and US Girls’ Junior that year.
As well as having won the Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs in 2022 and the Australian Girls’ Amateur in both 2021 and 2022, Wong’s impressive curriculum vitae includes an individual bronze and team silver medal with Malaysia at the 2022 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam.
Oh, the 16-year-old who was the top-rated player in the field following the retirement through injury of WAGR® number four Rianne Malixi of the Philippines on Thursday, was one of seven players to return a closing 66.
In her case it was one too many to force a play-off as she finished on 17-under-par 267. She said, “I'm not going to lie, of course I’m a bit disappointed. But it doesn’t mean my game was disappointing. I played very well. I’m proud of my game and myself.”
Hong, the half-way leader, appeared to have played her way out of contention before making birdies at 13, 14 and 16 to move within one. Pars at the final two holes meant she carded a 68 and had to settle for third place on 15-under-par 269.
Fellow Korean Yunseo Yang and Australian Jazy Roberts tied for fourth on 270. They were among those who matched Oh’s 66, along with Ying Xu who ended alone in sixth place on 271, the leading player from China.
Chuc An Le signed off with a one-under-par 70 to underline her standing as Vietnam’s number one female amateur golfer. Her four-day total of 284 meant she finished in a share of 30th place, comfortably bettering the previous best performance from a Vietnamese player in the WAAP, the 51st spot posted by Xuan Khue Minh Doan in 2023.
Developed by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) and The R&A to nurture talent and provide a pathway for the region’s elite women amateurs to the international stage, the WAAP provides the champion with life-changing opportunities.
As well as being invited to compete in the AIG Women’s Open, Amundi Evian Championship and The Chevron Championship, Wong will gain entry to the Hana Financial Group Championship, ISPS Handa Australian Open, The 122nd Women's Amateur Championship and, by tradition, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The R&A and APGC are supported by championship event partners that share their commitment to developing golf in the Asia-Pacific. The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship is proudly supported by Rolex, ISPS Handa, Hoiana Shores Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, New World Hoiana Hotel, Peter Millar, G Link Logistics and Titleist.
