APGC Launches Women’s Senior Championship

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: For the first time, the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Senior Amateur Championship will include a women’s competition.

Hosted by the Malaysian Golf Association, the event will take place at the award-winning Kota Permai Golf & Country Club from November 22-24.

Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the APGC, said: “In view of the increasing number of senior women golfers in the region, the APGC recognises the importance in providing a platform for them to compete.

“We surveyed our member countries on the subject and there was overwhelming support for us to go ahead with launching the APGC Women’s Senior Amateur Championship this year. It will be a welcome new addition to the APGC’s annual calendar of championships.”

Nobuko ‘Nicki’ Hirayama, a long-time APGC Board Member, said: “This is a fabulous development by the APGC that not only reflects the growing popularity of golf among women in our region but also indicates the importance we attach to promoting women’s amateur golf.

“The Asia-Pacific region currently has many of the best female juniors, amateurs and professionals in the world.

“The APGC, along with our partners at The R&A, introduced the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) in 2018, and this has already established itself as one of the premier ladies’ amateur events in the world.

“Tournaments such as the WAAP and the APGC Junior Championship provide opportunities for our young players to grow. Now we’re pleased to add a ladies’ senior championship to the list of events we hold for our member countries.”

As with the men’s event, which will be staged concurrently, the inaugural APGC Women’s Senior Amateur Championship will be contested over 54 holes of stroke play.

The respective individual winners will be crowned ‘Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Champion’ and will receive a Championship Gold Memento and hold the YA Bhg Tun Abdul Hamid Omar Cup for one year. The runner-ups will receive a Silver Memento.

There will be four age group categories for men and three for women as follows:

· Men Group A (55-59 years) – handicap limit 13.4

· Men Group B (60-64 years) – handicap limit 15.4

· Men Group C (65-69 years) – handicap limit 17.4

· Men Group D (70 years and above) – no handicap limit

· Women Group A (50-54 years) – handicap limit 15.4

· Women Group B (55-59 years) – handicap limit 17.4

· Women Group C (60 years and above) – no handicap limit

In addition to the individual events there will be team elements to both the men’s and women’s championships.

Each country may nominate one men’s team and one women’s team. Men’s teams will comprise a maximum of four players per team and women’s team comprise of a maximum three players, all of whom must be citizens or nationals of the country they represent.

The winning teams will be determined by the lowest aggregate of the three best gross scores for men and two best scores for women from each round.

To be eligible to compete in the APGC Senior Amateur Championships, men must be at least 55 years of age and women at least 50 years of age as of November 1, 2022 and possess a handicap that does not exceed the handicap limit for their age category at the time of entry, or who are an exempt player.

Launched in 2006, the APGC Men’s Senior Amateur Championship is the Asia-Pacific’s premier team and individual championship for senior male amateur golfers. The winner receives an exemption into The R&A Senior Amateur Championship.

The last staging of the APGC Senior Championship was in 2019 at Malaysia’s Sungai Long Golf & Country Club. Victory in the team event went to New Zealand with Australia claiming second place.

Closing date for entries for this year’s APGC Senior Championship is October 31. For entry forms and further details, please email apgcsenior22@mgaonline.com.my