Majlis Course, Emirates Golf Club, Dubai — October 23–26, 2025
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The stage is set for the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, with play beginning tomorrow on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai. A world-class field of 120 of the region’s best men’s amateurs will chase one of the most coveted prizes in the amateur game: a spot in the 90th Masters Tournament, an exemption into The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, and an exemption into the 131st Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Beyond the golden tickets, the Majlis itself is a storyline—firm, fast desert golf framed by towering skylines and wind that can change a round in minutes. Expect pace-of-play pressure, precision off the tee, and approach shots that demand command of trajectory and spin. When the sun drops behind Dubai’s skyline, someone will have navigated four days of problem-solving better than anyone else.
Storylines & NotablesMajor pathways on the line: The champion earns invitations to the Masters and The Open, plus an exemption into The Amateur.Desert demands: Wind, firm fairways, and perched greens on the Majlis reward disciplined targets and altitude-aware yardages.Depth across the region: National contingents from Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, New Zealand, India, and the UAE headline a 120-player field.Cutline pressure: With a mid-week cut to the top 60 and ties, round-two scoring is historically pivotal here. How It Works
Format: 72 holes of stroke play with a cut to the leading 60 players and ties after 36 holes. Ties for the championship are decided by a sudden-death playoff.
Qualification: Invitations are sent via APGC member organizations. Each country gets at least one position for its highest-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), with additional positions based on depth in the ranking. Remaining spots are filled by the next highest WAGR players, with a maximum of seven per country (host nation may add three). Past champions (within five years) and last year’s top-five finishers may be exempt beyond country caps.
Exemptions for finishers: Champion to the Masters and The Open; runner-up(s) to the Open Qualifying Series; top three to The Amateur Championship (see Terms of Championship for tie scenarios).
The Course: Majlis, Emirates Golf Club
The Majlis is the Middle East’s original championship desert course—fast corridors, bold bunkering, and exposed approaches that make flight control a premium. Expect scoring swings when afternoon breezes arrive and firm greens reward shots landed short with the correct release window.
The Field
A 120-player lineup represents the breadth of the APGC footprint, including entries from Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, New Zealand, India, the UAE, and many more.
2024 Recap: Wenyi Ding by a Shot
After entering the championship as the highest-ranked player in the field, Wenyi Ding finished 12-under to win the 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Shizuoka, Japan.
Ding, who is ranked No. 9 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings, shot four straight rounds of 3-under 67 to shoot 12-under and win by one shot over Ziqin Zhou, who finished in solo second place at 11-under.
“It feels really good,” Ding told the Asia-Pacific Amateur after the win. “Last year, I lost in the playoff and just felt I couldn’t play any better. And this year I got the trophy, it’s amazing. Before I played No. 17, I didn’t want to play for a birdie. I just wanted to save a par. I felt nervous on the birdie putt (on 18). I don’t know why, but it went three or four feet by. I was able to hole it.”
The championship dealt with a six-hour rain and fog delay between the first two rounds after four and a half inches of rain hit the course.
Ding recently left Arizona State to try and become the first player to earn a spot on the DP World Tour, but now he has earned likely exemptions into the 2025 Masters Tournament and 2025 Open Championship if he decides to remain an amateur.
The Global Pathway Rankings rewards the top non-collegiate amateur (which is why he left Arizona State) every year with a DP World Tour card. To be eligible, a player must “not be a current NCAA Division-I player” and “be at least 20 years of age by the end of the calendar year.” Ding turns 20 in November.
He became the first Chinese male player to win a USGA championship after winning the 2022 U.S. Boys’ Junior, set a collegiate scoring record at the 2024 Amer Ari Invitational, and won the 2024 Southern Amateur. He lost the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur to Jasper Stubbs in a playoff.
In his champion’s press conference, Ding referenced Haotong Li as a Chinese player he has looked up to over the years. The win marks the fifth victory by a Chinese player in the 15 editions of the Championship, the most by any country.
“Absolutely, it’s Haotong Li; I think he got top three in The Open,” Ding said. “He’s a really good player and brother…I don’t believe something like a Chinese player can’t do something. I just believe we can do [anything].”
36-hole leader Rintaro Nakano finished in solo third place at 10-under. The cut fell at 7-over after the second round.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur (formerly the Asian Amateur) is staged by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament, and the R&A. The winner is invited to the Masters and The Open, with the championship rotating among leading venues across the region.
Schedule & CoverageRound 1: Thursday, Oct. 23Round 2: Friday, Oct. 24 (cut to top 60 & ties after 36 holes)Round 3: Saturday, Oct. 25Final Round: Sunday, Oct. 26 (playoff if necessary)
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