Asia-Pacific Contingent on Merseyside Mission

Liverpool, England: Three members of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) 2025 Bonallack Trophy-winning team, the reigning APGC Boys’ Junior champion and the runner-up at last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) are among a world-class field featuring golfers from 41 countries that have gathered at Royal Liverpool and West Lancashire for The 131st Amateur Championship.

Taking place from June 15-20, the championship returns to Hoylake for a record 19th staging with 288 players competing to win one of the most prestigious titles in amateur golf and follow in the footsteps of past champions including Bobby Jones, José María Olazábal, Sergio Garcia and Matteo Manassero.

Leading a 20-strong Asia-Pacific challenge are Japan’s Taishi Moto, New Zealand’s Joshua Bai and Hong Kong’s Jeffrey Shen, all of whom were part of the APGC line-up that defeated their European counterparts in the Ryder Cup-style Bonallack Trophy in the United Arab Emirates last year. 

Moto is currently 61st in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), the top-rated Asia-Pacific player in a field that includes one player ranked in the world’s top-10, four in the top-25 and 10 in the top-50. Bai is 210th and Shen is 243rd.

Further bolstering the Asia-Pacific challenge is New Zealand’s Cooper Moore, who triumphed in the 2025 APGC Junior Championship in Hong Kong, and Japan’s Taisei Nagasaki, who was edged out in a play-off at the AAC in Dubai last October by Thai Pongsapak ‘Fifa’ Laopakdee.

Nagasaki also suffered a play-off loss in this year’s Royal Junior in Japan, an event won by Singapore’s Brayden Lee in 2025. Lee is in the line-up at Liverpool along with Nagasaki’s compatriots Kaito Sato and Riki Matsumoto, Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Cheng-wei and Chen Chi-chun, Indians Anshul Mishra and Ribhav Verma and Rayhan Ahmed, who will create history as the first representative from the UAE to participate in the Amateur Championship.

The largest Asia-Pacific contingent comes from Australia with Kayun Mudadana, Hamish Farquharson, Ollie March, Abel Eduard, Chase Oberle and Wesley Hinton all vying for glory.

Joining Bai and Moore to fly the flag for New Zealand is Yuki Miya, runner-up in the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final in Vietnam in April and the half-way leader in this year’s New Zealand Open, sanctioned by the Asian Tour.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Chief Championships Officer at The R&A, said: “The Amateur Championship holds a special place in our sport and continues to attract talented players from all over the world. With competitors from 41 countries and two outstanding host venues in Royal Liverpool and West Lancashire, we are looking forward to welcoming the next generation of amateur golfers to Merseyside. 

“The championship has a proud history dating back to 1885 and many of the game’s greatest players have lifted this trophy before going on to enjoy successful careers. We are excited to see who will emerge from this year’s field and add their name to that distinguished list.”

England’s Luke Poulter (WAGR number nine) leads the field and is joined by Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team-mates Stuart Grehan (56) of Ireland, Scotland’s Connor Graham (36) and Niall Shiels Donegan (31). South African Daniel Bennett (16), American Kihei Akina (22) and Tim Wiedemeyer (28) of Germany also arrive having enjoyed impressive collegiate seasons.

Founded in 1885, The Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur championships in the world. Royal Liverpool hosted the inaugural championship and this year marks the 19th time it has staged The Amateur, more than any other venue, while neighbouring West Lancashire, one of the 24 clubs that contributed to the purchase of the original Amateur Championship trophy in 1886, will host stroke play qualifying.

Following two rounds of stroke play, the leading 64 players and ties will progress to the match play stages, culminating in a 36-hole final on Saturday.

The champion will earn exemptions into The Open, the US Open, a DP World Tour event and, by tradition, an invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament, provided they retain their amateur status.

The runner-up will receive a spot in Final Qualifying and the Last Chance Qualifier for The Open. The quarter-finalists will earn an exemption into Final Qualifying for The Open.