Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Back-nine rally at Asia-Pacific Amateur propels Australia’s Harrison Crowe to a career-changing victory

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 11:09:32 +0000

By John Huggan
Amata Spring Country Club just outside Bangkok doesn’t have much in common with the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. But the two do share one thing that strikes fear into the hearts and minds of even the most accomplished golfers. So it was that the island green at Amata — one reached only by boat — came to be where the 13th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was lost and won.

Armed with a one-shot lead and with the honour on that penultimate tee, Bo Jin hit the shot you just can’t hit. Short and left of its intended target, the ball was always headed for the inevitable splash landing. Taking his chance next, Harrison Crowe made no such mistake, his tee shot finding the safety of dry land, maybe 30 feet from the pin.

Double-bogey for Jin and par for Crowe duly followed, swapping ownership of the one-shot edge. And when both made par on the 477-yard 18th it was over. The third Australian to win this title, Crowe shot a closing 72, his worst score of the week. But the 13-under-par aggregate with which he started the final round was just enough for the 54-hole leader to get things done. Only Jin, T-3 last year in Dubai and T-8 in 2019, was close. Another Aussie, Jeff Guan, and Ryuta Suzuki tied for third, four shots back.

So it is that Crowe’s victory must go down as a something of a surprise, if only because his recent poor form did little to suggest trips to the Masters and the Open Championship were anywhere in his near future. Only last week he missed the cut in the Japan Open by “a fair few” before words of encouragement from former Masters champion, Adam Scott, provided much-needed consolation. Given that history, it is perhaps appropriate that Crowe’s level-par closing day was a mixture of poor and near-perfect. Out in three-over-par 39, he nipped home in 33, courtesy of a burst of four birdies in five holes starting at the 11th.

“I had to dig deep today,” said the new champion, 43rd in the latest World Amateur Golf Ranking. “I was saying to my dad and his mate that all I needed on the back nine was for a putt to drop. I just needed one. And the birdie on 11 got me going. This means so much. I played so well early. But the middle of the season was a struggle. So it’s awesome to get this win.”

It was in doubt almost right to the end though. Crowe’s approach to the 18th green was “pulled but flushed” and escaped the water long and left by only a few feet. The chip was decent, finishing maybe three feet away. And the putt?

“I’ve never been so nervous in my life,” admitted Crowe, who was planning to turn professional next week but will now, understandably, delay that switch by at least nine months, needing to retain his amateur status to enjoy the spoils of victory. “The putter wasn’t exactly staying still in my hands.”

There is, though, no doubting Crowe’s class. In March, the 21-year-old became only the second player after 1947 PGA champion Jim Ferrier to win both the New South Wales Open and Amateur titles in the same season. And even amid his northern-hemisphere struggles, Crowe managed a 10th-place finish in the Trans-Mississippi Amateur.

Indeed, Crowe will do well to continue tracking the distinguished career of Ferrier, who would win 18-times on the PGA Tour, eventually retiring to be club professional at the Lakeside Country Club in suburban Los Angeles. The Sydney-native played 15 times at the Masters, finishing in the top six at Augusta National seven times.

As for Jin, the lanky Oklahoma State junior was naturally disappointed at his ultimate failure to emulate the 2015 Asia-Pacific victory of his brother, Cheng Jin. But apart from the 17th apart, the 20-year-old didn’t do much wrong in a round highlighted by the bunker shot he holed for an eagle at the par-4 12. At that stage the native of China was three shots clear of Crowe, his nearest pursuer.

A little further down the board, local lad Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat finished his week with a double-bogey 6 that left him in a tie for 13th place on six-under par. It was a sorry end for the 15-year-old who earlier this year won on the Asian Tour to become the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking event. As ever though, he wasn’t short of things to say when it was over, his lack of preparation over the last three weeks getting most of the blame for a generally lacklustre performance.

“It’s been a pretty terrible week,” said TK, after signing for a closing 71. “Even in my best round of golf on the first day, when I played almost perfectly from tee-to-green, I was able to make only five birdies. That was disappointing. And the next three rounds have to be my most frustrating ever. I played barely any good golf. And every time I hit a bad shot, or made even a small mistake, I was punished. So it hasn’t been the best week.”

Harrison Crowe, gratefully, can say otherwise.

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How do you really grow the game of golf? Ask the lone players from Bahrain and Iraq competing at the Asia-Pacific Amateur

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 08:35:33 +0000

Amer Radee nearly didn’t make it to Thailand, receiving his visa only a day before leaving for this week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur. John Lehmann

By John Huggan
They’re not leading — far from it — and the likelihood is that the second round will be their last in the 13th playing of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. Still, in many ways Nasser Yacoob and Amer Radee are what this event is all about. Never mind that both shot 80, eight-over par, in the opening round over the Amata Spring Country Club just outside Bangkok, the natives of Bahrain and Iraq, respectively, epitomise the often derided but always noble “growing the game” ethos espoused by the tournament organiers.

“It is a great privilege for me to be here representing Iraq,” says Radee, who lives in Jordan, where he works for the national federation as a technical manager. “Golf is not a popular sport in Iraq. We used to have two sand courses and a grass course. But they are gone now, because of the war. So golf stopped back in the 1990s. The good news is that we are building a course in Erbil, which is located in the Kurdistan region in the north of the country. So that will hopefully give Iraqis a chance to find the game.”

Radee, in fact, is a man on something of a mission. In many ways it isn’t easy being an Iraqi in the world he so obviously wants to be a part of. Visas are often difficult to obtain. This week, in fact, the documentation the 37-year-old needed to enter Thailand arrived only one day before he was due to travel.

“It feels very disappointing to me,” he says. “The Iraqi delegate who was coming here cancelled his trip because he could not get a visa. So I’m here on my own. This event is so important. It gives me the chance to go home and tell people what is possible in this game. I am trying to encourage people all the time and also trying to show everyone that we Iraqis want to be part of the golf world. When our course is built, we want to invite people to play in tournaments there.

“Golf is a way of building bridges between nations and different religions,” he continues. “We need to be part of this world. We cannot have everyone thinking Iraq has only tourism and terrorists. That is wrong. My job is to plan for junior events and tournaments. I am involved in golf every day. My hope for the future is to have more courses and so more golfers in Iraq. We need to make friendships with others. I want to take my experience back to Iraq and build something positive in golf. We want to be part of the wider world, and golf is one way to achieve that. It is a universal language.”

That it is. Asked how he had played, Radee sounded just like any other golfer.

“I did not play well today,” he shrugged. “I was struggling to put my ball on the fairway. So I did not have my best round. I was hoping for a better score. Maybe tomorrow. I will need a good score to make the cut, maybe under par. My normal strength, my driving, was not there today. It let me down. I always blame my putting but it was very good today. This is a long course when you are in the rough.”

Nasser Yacoob, 60, is playing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur for the ninth time. Graham Uden

In contrast, Yacoob was perfectly content with what he called a “steady” round in which he did not make a double bogey and had two halves of 40. Still, his expectations are understandably lower than Radee’s. At 60, the former Bahrain army man — where he worked in the ‘sports section’ — is the oldest player in the field and is making his ninth appearance in the AAC. Only once, in 2016, has he played all four rounds, and even then he finished last of those who made the cut.

Yacoob got his start in the game because of his home’s proximity to a refinery and the subsequent sand course built by British oil workers back in the 1930s. Starting with one club, he has built a game that has brought him notable success in the Middle East region. One highlight was his participation in the 2003 Dubai Desert Classic, where, although he finished propping up the field, he shot respectable rounds of 76 and 78.

“I love this tournament,” says Yacoob, who only occasionally gets to play Bahrain’s one grass course, the Colin Montgomerie-designed Royal Golf Club. “It has always been great for me to see if I can play with the guys here. And I can, a little bit. But it is even more important to others in Bahrain. We need the youngsters to see this event and aspire to play in it. I want them to follow my path and see what is possible. I want our association to focus on the beginners. I want all of the people to play golf, not just the rich, or the old people like me. This is a game you can play your whole life, until you die.”

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Favourites lurk on bunched leaderboard after Day 1 of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 13:29:35 +0000

By John Huggan
The biggest news on Day 1of the 13th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship concerned the 14th edition of the event. October 26-29 next year and for the first time since 2014, the AAC will be played over the storied composite course — 12 holes from the West course; six from the East — at Royal Melbourne in Australia.

As has become the norm, the 2023 champion will receive an invitation to compete in the 2024 Masters and the 152nd Open, while the runners-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for the Open.

“We are proud to announce the return of the AAC to Royal Melbourne,” said Martin Slumbers, CEO of the R&A, who run the championship alongside the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) and Augusta National. “We are committed to elevating amateur golf across the Asia-Pacific and taking this championship back to one of the world’s best courses.”

All of which is for the future. More immediately, many of the pre-tournament favourites gathered at Amata Spring Country Club just outside Bangkok made their collective presence felt by the end of a day where rain constantly threatened but eventually came to naught.

Bo Jin of China, T-3 last year in Dubai and the younger brother of 2015 champion Cheng Jin — is looking down on the other 119 competitors after an opening-round 65 that included six birdies, an eagle and only one dropped shot. The 20-year-old junior at Oklahoma State leads by two, but as many as 18 others broke 70 and 40 broke par. “Bunched” is the word we are looking for to describe the leaderboard.

https://twitter.com/AAC_Golf/status/1585592385186430976

Perhaps most significantly, the highest-ranked player in the field, Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat, is among the three-strong group on 67. But others with legitimate ambitions of ultimate success are also lurking nearby. Arizona State graduate James Leow from Singapore matched Chantananuwat’s score. Three members of the formidable seven-strong Australian squad — Harrison Crowe, Karl Vilips and Joshua Greer — shot in the 60s. And, even more impressively, all six of Jin’s compatriots shot par or better.

All of which suggests much more is likely to happen over the next three days. So far at least, this is little more than traditional opening round jostling for position.

“Two behind is OK,” said TK, neatly summing up his situation. “I’ve played in professional events. You don’t win on the first day. You don’t win until the 72nd hole. I’ve learned that from personal experience. I tried to win on Saturday, and it did not work out.”

Still, the local man — if such a term can be attached to a 15-year old, no matter how mature — left the course a little disappointed. While he was quick to dispel the notion that he could have “run away” from Jun’s score, his voice failed to conceal his regret. Armed with ball-striking tee-to-green that produced a plethora of birdie opportunities, TK’s score could and perhaps should have approached the 12-under 60 he shot in his only practice round.

“My putting is usually on point,” he said. “It’s just case of whether they go in or not. But today it was a bit below average, which is probably the result of me not having a proper practice session in the past three weeks because of school and travelling. My iron game has been the biggest variable in my whole career. But it is solid now. I’ve figured it out somehow. Something just clicked. Now I need to put it into the rest of my game. Putting is the easiest to fix. I’m going to hit 300 putts tonight. It will be fine tomorrow.”

Not surprisingly, Jin was making more positive noises after such a strong start to an event he came so close to winning last year. Missing only “three or four” fairways, he took advantage of the preferred lies that were in place after heavy overnight rain.

“I am pleased,” he said. “It is hard not to be. I did everything well. Drove it great. Putted great. Approach shots were pretty good, too. Everything pretty much went my way. We all know there is going to be some pressure to come. But I’m just trying to enjoy my game and get as much out of it as I can.”

Ultimately, that would be a trip to Augusta, Georgia, another to Liverpool, England and, just maybe, an opportunity to defend this title on one of golf’s greatest courses Down Under.

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He’s 15, has won on the Asian Tour, competed in a LIV event and wants to play college golf. Meet ‘TK’, the favourite at the Asia Pacific Amateur

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 06:36:52 +0000

By John Huggan
We’re talking prodigy here. At the age of 15, Ratchanon Chantananuwat, or ‘TK’ as he is already well known to the world of golf, is the highest-ranked player (12th) in the 120-golfer field gathered at the Amata Spring Country Club for the 13th playing of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.

Which makes sense. A winner on the Asian Tour in April this year at the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup, TK has risen to 12th in the World Amateur standings by beating those who play for money as well as those who play for fun. En route to becoming the youngest player in history to claim victory in an Official World Golf Ranking event, he shot a closing 65 to win by two shots from a guy named Tom Kim. You may have heard of him. He’s done rather well for himself since.

Along the way, TK has also played on a variety of professional tours, including the LIV Golf circuit. In the inaugural event of the league, TK shot 11-over par for the three rounds and finished T-38. In so doing, he beat six players, including former European Ryder Cup player Bernd Weisberger.

Ratchanon Chantananuwat at LIV Golf in London. LIV Golf

All of which only confirmed the enthusiasm that caused LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman to invite TK in the first place. Speaking to the South China Morning Post, the two-time Open champion was almost giddy in his praise.

“This is a kid who knows what he wants in life,” Norman told the newspaper. “After our call I said to my team: ‘We’ve gotta lock this kid up, we’ve got to get him on board because he’s 15 now, but can you imagine where he will be in 10 years … Oh my god.’ I’m pretty good at spotting talent, and trust me, this kid has got it. If I can give him an opportunity to play golf, I’m going to give it to him.”

That isn’t necessarily going to happen though. By playing in that LIV event as an amateur, TK has sensibly not burned any bridges with golf’s established and traditional tours.

“That’s one reason why I haven’t turned pro,” he says. “I want to keep my options open. For the past century America has been the centre of golf. College is there. And so is the PGA Tour. Again, those are reasons to go to college in the States. Regardless of what happens in the future, the best tour will likely be there.

“World Ranking points are literally the only thing I’m playing for right now. That’s the only thing that motivates me other than winning. As an amateur I don’t get anything -— I don’t get money — so the only thing I want is World Ranking points.”

At least in the short term then, we can assume that TK will not be committing himself to LIV, where there are currently no World Ranking points on offer. Besides, not surprisingly and despite his clearly prodigious talent, he is far from the finished article as a player, a fact he readily acknowledges.

“This week, I have no idea how I compare with any of these players,” he says. “But I know the talent level is very high. As for when I’m up against the best in the world, I’m far behind. I’m getting there, but I have a long way to go. I can shoot low scores like they can. But they are so much more consistent. They don’t do the really stupid things. Their games are tighter than mine. I am still capable of hitting a couple of leaks. I played recently with Charl Schwartzel. His ball-flight didn’t seem to be affected by anything. It was like the ball was in a vacuum.

“It’s an old cliché, but it’s true: We are all only as good as our bad shots. That’s the perfect way to say it, even if my good shots are just about as good as those of the pros. They can hit good shots. I can hit good shots. But their bad shots are way better than mine.”

A 15-year-old Ratchanon Chantananuwat celebrates his win on the Asian Tour.

Sensibly — which again comes as no surprise given this young man’s amazing level of maturity — he is aways from turning professional. College in the US is likely to be the next stop in his burgeoning career, academics always a big part of his life. This week he has already sat for exams in physics and economics.

“I love school,” TK says. “I really want to go to college, and I don’t think that will ever change. In the States that is. I like California. So Stanford would be the dream. But I have to see exactly what grades I get and what options I then have. What will be important wherever I end up is getting the right school/golf balance. I want to be somewhere I will be happy.

“Academics are important to me and my parents,” he continues. “They have sent me to one of the top, Division I golf in college. To do that I will have to go to a good school.”

Which is not to say some thought has not already been given to what comes after college.

“When I do turn professional, I will try to play on the tour where I have the most opportunities,” he says. “LIV Golf were first to approach me. And I really appreciate the opportunities they have given me to compete alongside world-class players. But in the future, I want to be wherever the best players are. I really hope that peace breaks out in the world of golf before I get to that point. I want to play against a full field. So I hope any discrimination between the various tours just goes away.”

More immediately, TK has a tournament to think about, one that will bring its on pressures. Already something of a star in his home country, he will make his AAC debut as one of the favourites to claim the Masters invitation and Open Championship exemption that go to the eventual champion. As ever though, TK is playing it cool.

“Playing here this week is not as big an advantage for me as you might think,” he says. “People think I’ve played here hundreds of times. But until three months ago I had played the course once. But in the last two months I’ve been here maybe five times. So I know it better than I did. I am familiar with this style of golf though. Most Thai courses are similar in that regard. Having said that, Amata is way above average. When you think of golf in Thailand you think of here.”

OK, what about tactics?

“I’ve tried to play events with a target score in mind,” he says. “And I’ve played others with nothing in mind. When I’ve won or at least played well, I’ve found that I do better when I have the least expectations. So tomorrow I’m not going to set myself a score. Today in practice I had an extraordinarily ‘deep’ score. So I’m going to have to get that out of my head … some of it anyway. I’m going to keep the good parts, the confidence and the good shots. Anything bad, I’m going to forget.”

Which is not something anyone should do whenever Ratchanon Chantananuwat is mentioned. If nothing else, he’s going to be a big name in golf.

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How the UAE plans to cash in on Dubai becoming the epicentre of global amateur golf

Kent Gray — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 04:52:56 +0000

10th green at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

By Kent Gray
Dubai has suddenly become the epicentre of world amateur golf and has no intention of wasting the golden opportunity.

Just nine months after being awarded hosting rights to the 2023 World Amateur Teams Championship (WATC), Dubai Golf and the Emirates Golf Federation have pulled off second massive coup by securing the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships (AAC).

With first Royal Melbourne (Oct 2020) and then Sentosa Golf Club (Oct 2021) unable to take up hosting rights to the 12th edition of the AAC due to COVID-19 restrictions in Australia and Singapore respectively, the UAE has proudly stepped into the breach at the 11th hour.

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club will now stage the AAC from November 3-6 and, given the delays, the 72-hole strokeplay event now holds more significance than ever. Not only will the champion earn a start at next year’s Masters and Open Championship as ever, the 13-month adjournment means the next Open, being the 150th edition at St. Andrews, is extra special. The champion will not only get to tee it up at fabled Augusta National but also in the oldest major at golf’s birthplace, The Old Course. As a result, global eyeballs will focus on The Creek and Dubai Inc, a boon as the world slowly begins opening up to golf tourism again.

It is no coincidence another of Dubai Golf’s properties, Jumeirah Golf Estates, will host the International Golf Federation-sanctioned WATC in 2023 with the 32nd Eisenhower Trophy (men) and 31st Espirito Santo Trophy (women) to be played on JGE’s Fire course.

Fire Course at JGE. Courtesy of the club

“It’s great news for Dubai and the UAE,” Dubai Golf CEO Chris May said of the AAC announcement, made jointly by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A late last month.

“It is a tournament we have been working for some time to bring to the region so to finally have the opportunity to host the event in Dubai, it’s fantastic for the country and gives all UAE National team players along with all the other GCC golf teams the opportunity to test themselves ‘at home’ against
the best amateur golfers in the Asia Pacific region.”

May described as “significant” the trust Augusta National, the R&A and ultimately the APGC had shown in “Dubai and the UAE to host major sports events at this time.” That faith would be repaid, he promised.

“Following a visit from members of the tournament committee from Augusta National we received very positive feedback and hope to make the UAE part of the [AAC] tournament’s rotation plans in future years,” May said.

“We are working hard on the golf course over the summer months to ensure it is in great condition for the tournament and post-event member and guest play.”

The AAC was established in 2009 to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region. The event has rightly been lauded as a launchpad for freshly-minted Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama with the Japanese superstar the only back-to-back champion after triumphing at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kawagoe, Japan, and Singapore Island Country Club in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Hideki Matsuyama with the winner’s trophy along with the flags of The Open and
Masters following the 2010 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. Getty Images

Lin Yuxin, who won in 2017 and 2019 and went on to make the cut at last month’s 149th Open at Royal St George’s as a result, is the only other two-time champion. The Chinese player is set to defend his title in November while the announcement will serve as great motivation for Emirati players such as Ahmad Skaik and Khalid Yousuf. Dubai-based Indian teen Arjun Gupta will be another hoping to cash-in on his intimate knowledge of The Creek.

May praised the EGF for their “integral…support and assistance” in ensuring Dubai Golf was selected at relatively short notice.

“This is an amazing opportunity for young golfers from the UAE who now have the two most significant amateur golf events to look forward to over the coming two years.”

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