APGC
Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Newsletter
march 2013
On the rise: Chinese teen Guan Tianling.
Contents APGC Schedule of Events 2013 Guan takes on Augusta
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Myanmar the new frontier
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Focus on greener golf
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Sustainability top priority
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R&A spells out grooves issue
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NZ Golf boss Hassall steps down
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Matsuyama at Open Championship 5 R&A issues slow play guidelines
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How many golf courses are there?
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Cantlay named best amateur
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Review into club anchoring method 6
asiapacificgolf.org
Guan, Augusta prepare to face each other Chinese teenager Guan Tianling is preparing for the most daunting task of his brief career at Augusta National next month. In turn, the US Masters is preparing for what could be a glimpse into the brave new world of golf.
Just weeks after Augusta admitted its first female members, it will have to contend with a 14-year-old schoolboy lining up alongside the likes of Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson. Guan is not just any boy
APGC Schedule of Events 2013 October 24-27, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, China November 14-17, Nomura Cup, Santiburi Country Club, Chaing Rai, Thailand November 20-23, Senior Amateur Championship, Vietnam
with a penchant for swinging a golf club though. He is set to become the face of golf in Asia as the region continues to push into a world of professionals previously the province of Americans and Europeans with a smattering of players from other
Western countries. He forced his way into the field by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand with an aggregate score of 15 under par. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama previously won the event twice and played in the Masters, the first time giving the traditionalists a peek at what is to come when he became the leading amateur and took out the silver medal. ›
Guan is a more slender, less powerful player than Matsuyama and many believe he will simply not be able to hit the ball far enough to have any chance of making the cut. The Chinese youngster agrees that he needs to work hard to gain extra length off the tee to handle Augusta’s daunting 6799m² (7435 yards). In April, Guan will demolish the previous record for the youngest competitor at the Masters, previously held by 16-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero in 2010. Like Matsuyama, he also made the cut. China is already showcasing threatening potential in the game. Guan is not the only player from his country of such tender years to tee up alongside the world’s best. Andy Zhang was also 14 when he became the youngest player since 1865 to play in a major at lasy year’s US Open at the Olympic Club. Zhang received coaching at a US golf academy when he was 10 and Guan has also practised in Florida. Guan is literally driving into the unknown, but his intentions are firm. “I’m so excited. I’m really happy to become the youngest player at the Masters and looking forward to going there,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen there but I know I just want to do well.” Later he’d upped his expectations when he tweeted: “I want to win the US Masters at Augusta.” Described to The New York Times by his coach as “a little machine,” Guan has been playing the game since age four. He uses a belly putter, which is under scrutiny from world golf authorities but he is unconcerned, saying he practises with the conventional blade as well. Hong Kong’s Shun Yat Hak told The Times that Guan’s appearance at the Masters would focus the spotlight on the sport even more in China. 2 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ MARCH 2013
Challenger: Chinese schoolboy Guan Tianling, 14, will line up alongside the likes of Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson.
When Chinese tennis star Li Na won the French Open, her popularity at home exploded to the point where she is rumoured to be the wealthiest woman on the WTA Tour. Guan was gunning for Hak’s record when he played in the China Open at 13. but fell short. Hak was 14 at the 2008 Hong Kong Open when he replaced Spaniard Sergio García as the youngest player to make the cut in a European Tour event. Hak finished tied for 75th, 16 strokes out of a three-man playoff that included Rory McIlroy, then 19. In what is a common path Guan could well reject, Hak moved to the US at 11. He is now a freshman at Georgia Tech, majoring in business and playing on the golf team. It seems more likely he will not look to an American college to further his game. In an interview last year in the South China Morning Post, Guan’s part-time coach Danny Webb said he did not believe Guan’s parents “want to embrace American culture.”
American multiple tour winner Jeff Maggert can see his point. “I think our system is a step backwards,” Maggert said, pointing to the number of years young golfers who plan to turn pro sacrifice while playing college golf. “The money’s so enticing. If you’re good, you’re losing out on millions of dollars if you stay in college for four years,” he said. Hak crunched the numbers and came to a different conclusion. With fewer than 160 spots in any pro field and several times that many golfers trying to earn a living playing the game, he said, it argues for patience. It is possible that Guan may seek advice from Matsuyama ahead of the Masters. The Japanese twice spent time in Australia training in preparation for a different atmosphere and foreign conditions. He ended up playing a lot on Royal Pines in Queensland. “The reason I did the same schedule is that although I ended up staying, it’s different, playing in a different location,
feeling different in a different location,” Matsuyama said. “But at the same time, I did really well last year as I did train in Australia and just came here (to Augusta). So I wanted to do the same thing because I had the good result last year.” Whatever the results, Guan is certain to aim for a return trip, if the Masters entraps him as it did his Japanese counterpart. “When I was playing the (second) Asian Amateur, especially, I had a strong feeling of wanting to come back here. So from the first day of the Asian Amateur Championship, I was very focused on the game,” he said. Matsuyama sought out seasoned Japanese professional Ryo Ishikawa for advice about Augusta. “I heard some from him, especially like pin positions and so forth. Since this is my second time, it’s good to hear some advice from him,” he said. His advice to Guan might be simple, something he learnt after his first experience at the major. “I think I’m just going to practice more,” he said.
Myanmar the new frontier The R&A is supporting golf in Myanmar by funding a special programme for coaching the national team and developing the country’s coaching infrastructure.
The program, which is being delivered by Australian golf professional Mark Holland, aims to assist the Myanmar Golf Federation (MGF) coach its leading players and help the coaches themselves. With the backing of The R&A, Holland will make four visits to the Southeast Asian country, also known as Burma, in the next 18 months to work with the players and to help develop the first coach education training program for the 70 professionals in the country. It follows on from a special Rules School that The R&A supported in Myanmar in January for around 40 golf enthusiasts. The Asian Golf Industry Federation is also supporting the coach education program. Holland is a former tour professional and played regularly on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Since then he has served as the head coach of the Australian Institute of Sport Golf. Holland previously assisted The R&A with a similar coaching programme in Samoa. “I am delighted to work with The R&A on the coaching program in Myanmar,” Holland said. “There is so much potential for development there and I know they are very enthusiastic about the game.
Helping hand: A special programme supported by The R&A aims to assist the Myanmar Golf Federation coach its leading players and help the coaches themselves.
“I will be coaching the team for the Southeast Asian Games and also working with their coaches to develop a training programme for them. It is very satisfying to use my experience to help them build a platform from which golf can hopefully grow and develop in Myanmar.” Dominic Wall, Director – Asia-Pacific at The R&A, said: “Mark has a wealth of experience in developing talented young players and will be able to provide a great deal of assistance for the Myanmar national team.” Aung Han, the Secretary General of the Myanmar Golf Federation, said: “On behalf of the MGF, I would like to thank The R&A and AGIF for supporting the development of the game of golf in Myanmar. “The R&A-supported coaching program
Focus on greener golf England Golf has, with R&A support, developed an excellent website focusing on golf and environmental issues, called Greener Golf. The site has some extremely useful resources which have, up until now, only been available to English golf clubs. These include a tick-box questionnaire which leads to the production of a bespoke environmental policy document and a carbon calculator. This site is now fully accessible to all R&A affiliates and it is recommend that you
visit the site to see what is on offer to golf clubs in England. If you want to browse Greener Golf, go to www.englandgolf.org/ GREENERGOLF/default. aspx and log-in by selecting “R&A” from the drop down list of golf clubs and typing in the password notebook. Please note that you then have to click the log-in button, simply pressing “return” will not suffice. Only five visitors can access this account at any one time, so if you are unable to log-in, please try later.
that is being initiated with The R&A officials and MGF officials will open many new opportunities for our young players as well as assist them with the necessary technical complexity to enhance their skills. “This program will also not only encourage our players to participate in higher level tournaments but will also allow them to reach their goals in due course.” There are 127 golf courses in Myanmar and the MGF estimates there are about 50,000 club golfers in the country with a further 25,000 golfers who are not attached to clubs. The Myanmar national team is preparing for the 27th Southeast Asian Games which will be held in Naypyidaw, the capital city of Myanmar, Yangon and Mandalay in December 2013.
Sustainability top priority The International Golf Federation and its member organisations have highlighted sustainability as a core priority, emphasising the need to mesh the playing quality of a golf course with the conservation of its natural environment under economically sound and socially responsible management. The federation will endeavour to ensure several issues are made a priority. These include making sustainability a pillar of its
mission, expanding awareness and encouraging action among golfers and golf facilities, minimise the sport’s consumption of non-renewable natural resources and continue to raise the profile of golf’s contribution to environmental issues. This, it is hoped, will produce improved financial performance and an enhanced profile for the game, quality playing surfaces for golfers, employment and recreational green spaces for the community and the conservation of resources. MARCH 2013 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ 3
Sorting the grooves issue The issue of club grooves has been further clarified by R&A in a memo to all affiliated unions and associations.
she should be advised to contact The R&A’s Equipment Standards department (see details further on).
Application of Groove Condition from 2014 The purpose of this memorandum is to remind you of the recommendation set forth in Decision 4-1/1 of Decisions on the Rule of Golf that, from January 1, 2014, the condition requiring players to use clubs which conform to the 2010 groove and punch mark specifications may be adopted at competitions involving the highest level of amateur golf. As you know, up until now, this condition has only been in effect at the elite level of the professional game and this is expected to remain the case until 2014. However, The R&A has taken the decision to adopt the condition at all of its Championships from 2014, including all amateur Championships and all qualifying events, and many Unions and Associations may wish to follow suit with their own elite level amateur events. While no decision may yet have been taken within your particular Union or Association, The R&A would like to take this opportunity to offer its assistance to you (as an organisation) and to the players within your country or region to ease the transition to the new Rules. To that end, The R&A strongly recommends that all players looking to participate in elite level amateur events throughout the 2013 season seek to verify
Guidance on how to interpret the search results can be found at www.randa.org/en/Equipment/ Equipment-Search/Informational-Clubs/ Groove-Rules-Explained.aspx
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The R&A’s Equipment Standards department will be available to answer any questions on this issue, particularly if a certain club does not appear on the database or if it is listed as “ATR” (Additional Testing Required). In such cases, players are encouraged to complete and return the form, available for download, as soon as possible and a member of the R&A’s Equipment Standards staff will make contact direct. Remember, the new Rules do not apply to drivers and putters.
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the status of their clubs against the condition, in preparation for 2014. This can be done in a number of ways and we would suggest that the following information is communicated to all Officials and elite level amateur players in your country or region at every opportunity going forward: A searchable database of pre-2010 models of clubs is on The R&A’s website at www.randa.org/en/Equipment/ Equipment-Search/Informational-Clubs. aspx. Please note that new models of clubs submitted to the governing bodies on or after 1 January 2010 are not included in the database and such clubs are required to meet the 2010 groove specifications by the Rules of Golf. If a player has a new model of club which was manufactured after 1 January 2010, but would like some reassurance that it does meet the new specifications, he/
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For clubs which need to be tested in order to ascertain their status, The R&A will be offering a test service out of its Equipment Standards office in St Andrews throughout 2013. Using the contact details noted below you may request further details of this service.
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For information, contact the R&A’s Equipment Standards department by phoning 01334 460000 or email clairebates@randa.org
NZ Golf boss Hassall steps down After almost seven years as chairman of the board of New Zealand Golf, Philip Hassall has decided to stand down.
He will remain on the board as a director until the end of his term, however the board will elect a new chairman to lead the organisation at their first meeting in 2013. Mr Hassall works as the chief executive of Midland Imaging Group and due to the demands of this expanding role and his family commitments he feels the time is right to step aside and allow another director to lead the organisation. 4 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ MARCH 2013
Moving on: Philip Hassall.
“The challenges facing sporting organisation’s and golf especially mean the chair
position can be all consuming,” Mr Hassall said. “I informed the board at the beginning of the year of my intention and they have been very supportive.” Dean Murphy, the New Zealand Golf chief executive, said that Mr Hassall has been a wonderful servant of the game of golf and he has a proud legacy to look back on as chairman. “Philip has been a great man to work with as the chairman of the board of New Zealand Golf,” Murphy said. “His experience and
knowledge of the game at all levels has made him a real asset to the board of New Zealand Golf. “He has been through some good and bad times with New Zealand Golf in the past seven years and has always been a leader for the organisation with sound decision making.” Among the issues he has had to deal with are the men’s and women’s amalgamation in 2005, the New Zealand Open successfully moving from Gulf Harbour to The Hills and the relocation of the organisation from Wellington to Auckland.
On track: Japanese player Hideki Matsuyama has clinched a spot in The Open Championship for the first time.
Japanese amateur star set for Open Championship Dual Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion Hideki Matsuyama has continued to reinforce his potential, clinching a spot in The Open Championship for the first time.
The 21-year-old Japanese player, who has already won a professional event on the Japan Tour, took one of the four places available in golf’s oldest major championship at the International Final Qualifying – Asia event at Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand. Matsuyama bounced back from a bogey on 16 and a double bogey on 17 to clinch the coveted spot with an impressive approach to the 18th green which left him with a tap-in for birdie. He finished nine under the card on 135 for the two rounds, four shots behind the winner Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand. Japan’s Daisuke Maruyama and Ashun Wu of China were the other qualifiers. Matsuyama, who won the Silver Medal as the Leading Amateur at the US Masters when he won a spot after his first Asia-Pacific victory, said he was thrilled to be playing in The Open at Muirfield, but admitted he had to ovecome some late errors. “I’m excited and happy because I made it,” Matsuyama said. “After 16 and 17, I told myself to calm down which I did. I’m glad with the way I handled myself out there. This
is my first appearance at The Open and I can’t wait for it. “I gained a lot of experience when I played in The Masters and it improved my game and maturity. I’m sure I’ll become even better after playing in The Open,” he said.
I gained a lot of experience when I played in The Masters and it improved my game and maturity. Matsuyama, who is the highest ranked Asian player at fifth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, was determined to avoid a repeat of his late collapse last year when he dropped six shots in the last three holes to miss the play-off for the fourth and final
place in The Open by two shots. He will now have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his countrymen who have performed well at the famous East Lothian links in recent years. Isao Aoki distinguished himself at Muirfield in the 1980 Open Championship with a sizzling 63 in the third round as he gave chase to eventual winner Tom Watson before finishing in 12th position. Fellow Japanese great Jumbo Ozaki finished six shots behind Champion Nick Faldo in a tie for 11th position at the 1987 Open. Shigeki Maruyama missed out by a single shot on the four-way play-off that decided the 2002 Open at Muirfield, won by Ernie Els, after being tied for the lead at the halfway stage. Matsuyama last year won the Japan Collegiate Championship and collected four top 10 finishes, including runner-up spots in the Sun Chorella Classic and the Dunlop Phoenix events. The 142nd Open Championship will be played at Muirfield from July 14-21. MARCH 2013 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ 5
Cantlay named best amateur American Patrick Cantlay has officially been recognised as the world’s best amateur golfer for 2011.
The 19-year-old received the Mark H.McCormack Medal from the late IMG founder’s daughter Leslie McCormack Gathy at Royal Aberdeen. Cantlay, from Los Alamitos, California, became the fifth recipient of the medal awarded to the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings at the end of the summer season. It marks the end of a successful season for the UCLA sophomore which began with a run to the semi-finals of the 2010 US Amateur while he was still a high-school student. Cantlay also finished the low amateur at the US Open with a level par score of 284 to tie for 21st place.
Top of his game: Patrick Cantlay, right, with Augusta National chairman Billy Payne.
“I had a great year, played really well and it’s a great feeling because there are a lot of good players out there,” he said. His other successes in 2011 included a tie for 24th at the Travelers Championship where he posted a 60 in the second round – the lowest round ever by an amateur on the PGA Tour.
Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Executive Committee
President Mr Kwang-soo Hur
Vice-President Dr David Cherry
Chairman Dato’ Thomas ML Lee
Secretary – General Honorary secretary Mr Dilip Thomas Mr Colin Phillips OAM
Committee Members
Mr Philip Hassall
Mr Taimur Hassant
Mr Keisuki Muratsu
Mr Zhang Xiaoning
Mr Rungsid Luxsitanonda
R&A issues slow play guidelines The R&A has issued a memorandum on the contentious issue of pace of play to tournament organisers, referees and elite player coaches.
The notice follows growing concern from the start of 2012 about the increasing problem of slow play in the game. The R&A has decided to address the issue at the ground roots level, focusing on amateur and boy’s amateur championships in the hope their directives will filter upwards to the professional tournament level. The R&A has warned it intends to enforce its guidelines and has asked for consistency from referees. It has made it clear penalties will apply to players who breach the rules. Players will be required to read the notes relating to their responsibilities at tournaments so that they cannot claim ignorance. The R&A has called for clear communication between referees and players so there are no misunderstandings and players are able to complete their rounds within the alloted times.
How many golf courses are there? The R&A has set itself the task of counting the number of golf courses throughout the world.
The R&A is midway through the exercise working in collaboration with the National Golf Foundation, based in Florida. The game’s ruling body has described the initiative as “a huge undertaking and one we believe is necessary to allow us to better fulfil our governance role”.
R&A starts review into club anchoring method The R&A is considering the submissions it has received from individuals and organisations regarding the proposed change to the Rules of Golf that would prohibit the anchoring of the club in making a stroke.
The 90-day period where parties were invited to comment on the proposed Rule 14-1b has ended. A spokesman for The R&A said: 6 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ MARCH 2013
“Anchoring has been a polarising issue in our sport and despite having weighed the matter thoroughly before making the proposal, we believed it was important to give stakeholders in the game the opportunity to air their views. “Our consultation period has generated a number of considered responses which have continued to arrive right up to the deadline. We appreciate those responses
and will take time to review and evaluate them. “We note that this matter has proved particularly sensitive in the United States, while the proposed rule change has been received more favourably across the international golfing community. “As we have throughout this process, we will work closely with the USGA in moving towards a final resolution.”