Tough Examination Awaits Local Schoolboys

Auckland, New Zealand: Local teenagers Samuel Ding and Ishaan Shah will be missing high school this week after receiving late invitations to compete in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), which gets underway at Te Arai Links tomorrow.

The pair are late additions to round out the 120-strong field from 39 countries and will bolster the Kiwi contingent to nine players for the 17th edition of the AAC, which rewards the winner with an invite to next year’s Masters and The Open.

Seventeen-year-old Ding, who is in year 12 at Macleans College, has enjoyed a successful year on the amateur golf circuit, winning the Northland Stroke Play in September and finishing tied for third at the New Zealand Under-19 Championship. Next year he is set to attend Columbus State University to play golf.

Shah is in his final year at King’s College in Auckland and has also enjoyed an impressive season, claiming seven World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) event titles this year, including the New Zealand Under-19 Championship. 

The AAC is making its first visit to Te Arai Links, with the South Course set to showcase elite amateur golf and Aotearoa’s stunning coastal landscapes to the world.

For Ding and Shah, the call-ups present an unexpected opportunity to represent New Zealand and gain valuable international experience on one of the biggest stages in amateur golf.

No New Zealander has ever won the AAC, despite Ryan Fox competing in the first few iterations of the championship, while Wellington’s Daniel Hillier finished sixth in the 2017 event at Royal Wellington.

The first round here gets underway on Thursday from 7 am local time, with Thailand's Pongsapak 'Fifa' Laopakdee defending the title he won in extra time in Dubai last year.