Toyoshima Bids to Retain APGC Mid-Amateur Title

Bogor, West Java, Indonesia: Yutaka Toyoshima will be the player to beat when the second edition of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Mid-Amateur Championships tees-off tomorrow.

Having swept to a runaway victory at the inaugural championships last year, the 49-year-old Japanese is seeking to pull off a successful title defence this week over the East Course at Gunung Geulis Country Club.

Hosted by the Indonesia Golf Association, the event is open to amateur golfers who reached their 25th birthday as of June 25, 2026, and whose WHS handicap index at the time of entry did not exceed 8.0. 

The Mid-Amateur Championship has attracted more than 60 entries from eight countries or territories – Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia – and is being staged in four age divisions: Group A (ages 25 to 29); Group B (ages 30 to 37), Group C (ages 38 to 46) and Group D (aged 47 and above).

A welcome addition this year is the inclusion of a team event. Teams are comprised of a maximum of three players, all of whom must be citizens or nationals of the country they represent. The best two daily gross scores from each team will be counted with the champions receiving the Yapto Soerjosoemarno Cup, donated by Yapto S. Soerjosoemarno, Chairman of the Indonesia Golf Association.

A five-time winner of the Japan Mid-Amateur Championship (2015, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023) who reached a high of 385th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Toyoshima posted a runaway eight-stroke victory last year at Jakarta’s Gading Raya Golf Club and will be seeking once more to upstage his younger rivals in the 54-hole stroke play event.

Among those likely to challenge him are Alit Jiwandara, who had the distinction of finishing as the leading Indonesia in fourth place last year, Indians Navetz Singh and Ranjit Singh, who placed joint ninth in 2025, and Hong Kong-based Australian Syren Johnstone, a contender in the APGC Senior Championship in recent years.

Also testing their playing skills will be APGC Board Members Nishi Yoshihiro and Akira Wakabayashi, and Suharsono, Secretary-General of the Indonesia Golf Association (PB PGI).

Suharsono said: “This tournament is an important platform for experienced players who have good track records at national and international levels. Beyond strengthening relationships between nations through sports, this event will support the growth of amateur golf and the sports industry in Indonesia. It is an excellent opportunity to showcase Indonesia as a world-class golf destination with international-standard facilities and management.”

Philip Hassall, Chairman of the APGC, said: “On behalf of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, we thank the Persatuan Golf Indonesia (PGI) for hosting the second APGC Mid-Amateur Championship, and to the management and staff at Gunung Geulis for welcoming us so warmly.

“With the inauguration of the Mid-Amateur championships last year, we’re delighted that the region now boasts a full complement of top-level tournaments that cater to all age groups.”

In addition to the APGC Junior Championships and APGC Senior Championships, the APGC partners with The R&A and Masters Tournament to stage the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, and with The R&A to stage the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific.

Under the auspices of the APGC there are also Asia-Pacific team events for men (Nomura Cup, biennial) and women (Queen Sirikit Cup, annual).

In conjunction with the European Golf Association (EGA), the APGC also conducts the Bonallack Trophy and Patsy Hankins Trophy. The Ryder Cup/Solheim Cup-style match play events are contested between elite male and female amateurs from the APGC and EGA.

Furthermore, the APGC sanctions The Royal Junior in Japan and the Ciputra Golfpreneur Junior World Championship in Indonesia.