By Kent Gray
For a fresh reminder of where a strong performance in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship (WAAP) might someday lead, the region’s best players need only rewind to last month’s Dubai Moonlight Classic.

Among the field at the Ladies European Tour event was Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul, the winner of the inaugural WAAP in 2018.

Thitikul, who also finished runner-up to Yuka Yasuda in Japan two years ago, has already climbed inside the top 30 of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking within a year of turning professional. She also just clinched the Race to Costa Del Sol, the LET Order of Merit, at the Saudi Ladies International.

Need further evidence? How about Filipino Yuka Saso and Thai Patty Tavatanakit, who were tied second and tied 15th respectively in the inaugural WAAP in Singapore, becoming major winners this year. Tavatanakit won the ANA Inspiration in April and 19-year-old Saso was the US Women’s Open champion in June.

All of which makes the 3rd edition of the WAAP, which returns to the international schedule at Abu Dhabi G.C. this week after it was cancelled last year because of pandemic-related restrictions, a tournament to watch.

Organised by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), WAAP has become the most important event in the region with the champion earning places in major two championships – the AIG Women’s Open and the Amundi Evian Championship – as well as an invitation to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Among those to keep tabs on during the 72-hole strokeplay event on The National layout are the reigning Korean amateur champion Youmin Hwang, who is ranked 6th in the world, and Chinese players Xiaowen Yin and Lei Ye, ranked 9th and 13th respectively. Alia Al Emadi, Hannah Cheryl Alan, Hamad Alsuwaidi and Natalii Gupta are listed to represent the UAE.

Youmin Hwang. Photo by Korean Golf Association

It will be Hwang’s maiden WAAP appearance but she is well aware of the opportunity it presents. The 19-year-old has been in fine form this year, winning two amateur titles in her home country after an impressive T-4 finish while playing against seasoned professionals in the DB Group Korea Women’s Open in June.

“As a player, you always want to compete against the best players in the world. Playing the WAAP in Abu Dhabi will be an exciting challenge for me. I am looking forward to testing my game on a formidable golf course like Abu Dhabi Golf Club and in foreign conditions,” said Hwang.

“The rewards of winning the championship are incredible. To be able to play two major championships and have a possibility of playing a round at Augusta National Golf Club, I know every player will try extra hard to finish on top of the leaderboard.”

Yin has been in outstanding form ever since golf made a comeback in China following the first COVID-19 lockdown last year. Since August 2020, she has played 13 events and won eight of them, including three professional titles on the China LPGA Tour).  Her worst finish has been 9th place in a professional tournament on August 20. Last year.

“I was fortunate to be part of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in 2019 and I did well to finish tied 12th in Japan,” said Yin. “However, I know I am a much better all-round player now and it would be amazing if I can add to my victories in Abu Dhabi.”

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What: 3rd Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship
Where: Abu Dhabi Golf Club
When: Nov. 10-13

The post Why the WAAP at Abu Dhabi G.C. this week is a likely barometer of professional things to come appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Abu Dhabi Golf Club was announced on Wednesday as the new host for the 3rd Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship. The event, to be staged from November 10-13, was originally scheduled for Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Thailand next month.

However, travel challenges in Thailand mean the 72 hole strokeplay event will now be played in the UAE capital, just as the 12th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) has been shifted from Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore to Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club from November 3-6.

Like the men’s event, where the winner earns starts at the 2022 Masters and 150th Open Championship at St Andrews, the WAAP carries huge carrots for the region’s leading females.

The winner not only qualifies for the 2022 AIG Women’s Open and The Amundi Evian Championship, but also earns a start in next year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

With Jumeirah Golf Estates set to host the World Amateur Teams Championships in 2023 with the 32nd Eisenhower Trophy (men) and 31st Espirito Santo Trophy (women) to be played on JGE’s Fire course, the UAE will be the epicentre of world amateur golf for two years.

After just two editions, the WAAP has already proven its worth. Thai Patty Tavatanakit, 21, and Yuka Saso of the Philippines won the ANA Inspiration and US Women’s Open this year after being part of the inaugural WAAP in 2018, won by Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul. Home favourite Yuka Yasuda won the 2019 event at the Royal Golf Club, Japan.

They Said it…

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive at The R&A
“After the disruption caused by the pandemic over the last 18 months we are excited to be staging the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship at such a fantastic venue in Abu Dhabi. It is more important than ever to provide opportunities for elite women amateurs to compete in Asia-Pacific and we look forward to another thrilling championship in November.”

Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the APGC
“The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship has been a wonderful addition to the APGC’s golfing calendar and we very much look forward to welcoming it back to the schedule following last year’s postponement due to Covid-19.  Not only does the WAAP present our leading female players the chance to compete against their peers but it also acts as an inspiration for all up-and-coming golfers.
“This year’s historic win at the US Women’s Open by Yuka Saso, joint runner-up in the inaugural WAAP, served to underline the importance of this championship as a platform for the game’s development and rising talent in the region.”

His Excellency Shaikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation
“As a member of the APGC we are delighted to welcome this prestigious championship to the UAE for the first time. It has given us great joy to see two Major winners emerge from this championship and we look forward to hosting these talented amateurs at one of our finest courses. It is an honour to support the APGC and The R&A to advance our shared mission of driving golf’s growth and development.”

Andrea Faldella, Club Operations Manager at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club
“The Abu Dhabi Golf Club is honoured to be invited by the APGC and The R&A to stage the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship. The National Course will be a tough test for the players, with each hole offering a unique layout of risk and reward opportunities. We look forward to hosting a safe and successful championship and helping The R&A, APGC and EGF to grow the game in the region.”

The post Abu Dhabi G.C. step up to host Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
A world-first league promising amateur golfers weekly Ryder Cup-style matches with all the trimmings of a professional tour – including live broadcasts – has been launched in Dubai.

The Emirates Amateur Golf League (EAGL), golf’s answer to IPL cricket with an intriguing reality TV twist, is the brainchild of Sudesh Aggarwal who revealed the concept at an unveiling party at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on Wednesday evening.

The well-known Indian businessman has the official backing of the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) and Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) for the eight-team league earmarked to begin at Dubai Creek in November, presumably poviding Aggarwal business model sells.

Aggarwal hopes to find nine-team owners willing to pay six-figure sums for the franchises (the first eight sold will contest the inaugural season) which will comprise 24-player squads managed by two non-playing coaches, likely to be contracted UAE PGA members. Any amateur – male or female – with an official handicap of 14 or better can register to be part of a franchise, each of which will compete in a round-robin – with 12 players selected for each match – before semifinals and a grandfinal.

The season, scheduled to run over two months from late November to early January, will include a total of 312 matches with three to four courses in addition to Dubai Creek set to host matches if Aggarwal’s plans come to fruition. The matches will be contested in various matchplay formats in handicap bands –  0-4, 5-8, 9-11 and 12-14 – off the stick.

Aggarwal is even promising 40 hours of live online coverage in the first season via the EAGL’s social networks. Plans to broadcast the action on a mainstream TV network are on-going – Dubai TV filmed the unveiling party. At the very least, the APGC has reportedly agreed to promote the league across its network of 42 member nations, a vast audience for franchisees who are also being promised “extensive opportunities for branding, hospitality, networking, entertaining clients and PR.”

“The Emirates Amateur Golf League is the most exciting thing to happen to amateur golf, which is the largest segment of the sport,” Aggarwal said.

“We all know the excitement generated by team golf competitions like the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup, and the drama that a sporting league like the English Premier League in football or the Indian Premier League in cricket can create. The EAGL combines the best of all these mega sporting events. We aim to provide an unforgettable experience for the players and sponsors through professional organisation and creating value propositions which will make this a win-win situation for all our stakeholders.”

Aggarwal unveiled the names of the for-sale franchises on Wednesday: Abu Dhabi Roars, Asian Jumbos, Dubai Tigers, Emirates Players, English Nicks, European Seves, Indian Singhs, Korean Chois and Pakistani Taimur.  Franchises will be able to sell naming rights to sponsors to help offset costs.

Notably launched on the eve of the new European Tour season opening at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, EGF chairman Shaikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi hailed Aggarwal’s ambition.

“We have so many amazing tournaments for the professionals in the UAE but we rarely get something which gets the amateur players excited,” Shaikh Fahim said. “The EAGL can become a tournament our amateurs will aspire to become a part of, and hence work harder to get better.”

One of the franchises has been named after APGC chairman Taimur Hassan, Pakistan’s best known professional.

“It’s really heart-warming to see tournaments like the Emirates Amateur Golf League being conceptualised,” said Hassan. “At the APGC, increasing the popularity of golf and improving the quality of amateur golf is at the heart of everything we do. We are delighted to support the EAGL.”

For more on the EAGL, be sure pick up (or download) a copy of the February 2021 edition of Golf Digest Middle East, out soon.

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The post New Emirates amateur league promises Ryder Cup-style drama, broadcasted live, with YOU as a central character appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Reema Al Heloo, Tara Al Marzooqi, Mohammed Al Hajeri and Rashid Al Emadi will represent the UAE at the 2017 Asia Pacific Junior Championship in Hong Kong from August 30.

The three-day, 54-hole U-17 tournament on the New course at Hong Kong G.C. is a unique mixed gender event where teams select one male and female to play each day in three different formats – fourball (round 1), foursomes (round 2) and individual strokeplay (round 3). Teams from the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation’s (APGC) 45 member federations are invited.

The UAE will take momentum with them to Hong Kong with Al Heloo and Al Marzooqi fresh from claiming gold at the latest GCC Ladies Golf Championship. Al Marzooqi also won the individual GCC title.

A product of the Emirates Golf Federation’s National Junior Development Program (NJDP), Al Emadi also enjoyed a memorable GCC Championship winning individual and team titles in the boys U15 division.

Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, EGF Secretary General, and UAE non-playing captain will guide the team in Hong Kong.

“The girls have had a few strong years in our region but this will be a good test for them leading into the 2017-2018 season that starts in October. This championship will be a good measurement to see how their game has improved since we’ve competed in this event last year,” he said.

“We have had a two-week summer camp in Germany during July and a full month of preparation for this championship and the upcoming season. We have set personal goals for this event and I think we will achieve them.”

The post UAE juniors eye Asia Pacific progress in Hong Kong appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.