Tournament tees off Oct. 29 at Tara Iti Links in New Zealand; winner earns spots at Masters Tournament and The Open
The field for the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) has been set, with 118 players confirmed to compete for major championship berths.
Now in its 17th edition, the AAC runs Oct. 29 through Nov. 1 at the South Course of Tara Iti Links in New Zealand. Founded in 2009, the tournament is co-hosted by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and the R&A to promote amateur golf across the Asia-Pacific region.
The winner earns starts at the 2027 Masters Tournament and the 155th Open Championship, while the runner-up receives a place in The Open's final qualifying. The top three finishers also earn entry into the 132nd Amateur Championship.
Of the 120 spots in the field, 118 have been filled by players representing 40 APGC member nations, organizers said Friday. Seven players ranked in the top 50 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) headline the entry list.
They are Harry Takis of Australia (No. 17), Zachary Swanwick of New Zealand (No. 19), defending champion Pippa Laopakdi of Thailand (No. 29), Nguyen Anh Minh of Vietnam (No. 30), Joshi Duangmani of Thailand (No. 40), 2024 runner-up Zhou Ziqin of China (No. 46) and Moto Taishi of Japan (No. 49). Five countries have won the AAC title: China (five times), Australia (four), Japan (four), South Korea (two) and Thailand (once).
South Korea will be represented by six players in total. Kim Min-su, ranked 102nd in the world amateur rankings as of Wednesday, leads the domestic contingent alongside Yoo Min-hyuk (208th), Son Je-i (299th) and Jeon Ji-yul (805th). Two players of Korean descent competing abroad round out the group: Lee Byung-ho (335th) and Park Si-woo (602nd).
The AAC has served as a launching pad for some of the world's top professionals. Alumni include Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, the 2021 Masters champion and a two-time AAC winner; Cameron Smith of Australia, the 2022 Open champion; and Ryan Fox of New Zealand, the 2026 Open champion. Kanaya Takumi, Nakajima Keita (both Japan), Cameron Davis, Min Woo Lee (both Australia), Kim Si-woo (South Korea) and Pan Cheng-tsung (Chinese Taipei) have also gone on to compete on the world stage after playing in the AAC.
AAC alumni have combined for more than 180 victories on major professional tours worldwide, including 34 on the PGA Tour. Nine players from Pan Cheng-tsung's team for the upcoming International Junior Presidents Cup — which Pan will captain in September — are also entered in the 2026 AAC.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
