AAC Partners Hail ‘Effective Collaboration’

Auckland, New Zealand: Senior officials have hailed the collaboration between The R&A, the Masters Tournament and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) as key to the continued success of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC).

Speaking at the traditional Founding Partners Press Conference, The R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon and Masters Chairman Fred Ridley referenced the strong ties between the three organisations.

Ridley said: “When people have shared values and passion for something and they collaborate, generally good things happen. And certainly, we feel that way and are so pleased to be partners with The R&A and the APGC.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Darbon. He said: “This is the 17th staging of the AAC, and it continues to go from strength to strength. Effective collaboration is key to the success of this championship, and we’re extremely grateful to have such outstanding partners in the Masters Tournament and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation. 

“I would like to thank Fred and Philip (Hassall, Chairman of the APGC) and their respective teams for their commitment to this event.

“We have 120 players from 39 countries competing this week. And for those contending at the top of the leaderboard, there are life-changing opportunities to aim for: places in the 155th Open at St Andrews and at the Masters next year. 

“We talk a lot about that in our relationships with Augusta and with the APGC.  We want this event to be a showcase for the best that golf can bring. And I think that starts with behaviour and values, and we very much hope that we'll see that in spades this week. 

“We greatly appreciate the hospitality we have received from Jim Rohrstaff and the team at Te Arai and the support we have received from Golf New Zealand in bringing the event here for the second time.

“On Sunday evening we will crown another AAC champion, but the real power of this championship lies in its ability to inspire players to follow in the footsteps of those greats who have competed in the AAC over the years. 

“We don’t have to look any further than the success of New Zealand’s own Ryan Fox in winning the Open at Royal Birkdale this year to see the effect that can have. 

“Ryan played in the AAC on three occasions and has spoken about how important this championship was in his development. Who knows what the players in the field this week might go on to achieve in years to come.”

“For me, the AAC is about the success of golf across the region. Many of the players this week won’t have experienced a facility like this.

“And the ability to provide that platform and showcase is so critical for the growth of this game across the region more broadly. 

“If you think about Asia-Pacific holistically and include the Middle East, I think there are now something like 43 million people playing the game. And at The R&A, we’re believers that you have to see it to believe it.

“And so championships like this are so critical to showcase the strength of this sport, the values and benefits that flow from it. And we’ll be eager to accelerate that on the back of this championship into the future.”

“When you look at the statistics from this event, former players from the AAC have gone on to win more than 200 times on major Tours all around the world.  We think that’s remarkable. 

“The pathway through our sport is so critical. And I think the commitment from the Founding Partners to the amateur game and the role that that plays on the journeys for these players is so important.”

Ridley added: “I think the pace that this championship has developed may have been a bit unexpected in the fact that in less than two decades it’s become one of the premier amateur championships in the world. It’s viewed in over 150 countries, which we would have never thought possible. 

“So, I really think that the extent of and the pace at which we’ve progressed has been something that we’ve been proud of.”