APGC
Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Journal
SEPTEMBER 2018
Europe cruises to APGC junior victory Winners with tournament officials
Contents Europe cruises to APGC junior victory 1-2 Australia sends powerful team to AAC in Singapore
3
Tokyo to host Innovation Symposium
4
Dagar sets world record Chairman’s message
4 5
Danes topple Spain, Thailand at Toyota Junior World Cup
6
R&A presents a new women’s golf charter 7 Kajitani, Thitikul score top five 8
Finland’s Sakke Siltala and England’s Caitlin Whitehead have triumphed effortlessly in the Asia-Pacific Junior Championship in Hong Kong.
Siltala and Whitehead combined to return a score of 263 – eight shots ahead of their nearest rivals. The Korea 1 team of Selin Hyun and Seunghyun Oh finished on 271 while Korea’s team 2 of Hyelim Jo and Min Wook Gwon was in outright
third on 276, just one shot ahead of Thailand team 1. Playing through wind and rain, the Europe 1 team of Sakke Siltala and Caitlin Whitehead posted a 17-under-par fourround score to collect the 2018 Mitsubishi Corporation Cup event held at The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club from August 29-31. Siltala fired an individual round of 69 to win the Boys’ Overall Tournament, narrowly
beating Jye Pickin of Australia 2 and Josh Greer of Australia 1, who finished tied for second at 70. Whitehead shot a six-under par 64 to claim the Girls Overall title, beating Hyun of Korea 1 and Jo Hyelim of Korea 2, both of whom shot 68. Siltala and Whitehead were playing for more than the team and individual tournament titles. By winning the Boys and Girls n Continued page 2
Europe cruises to APGC junior victory n From page 1
Overall championships, Sakke also qualified to play in the AsiaPacific Open Golf Diamond Cup 2018 in Japan and Caitlin in the 2019 Korea Women’s Open. Inclement weather forced tournament organisers to reverse the format of this year’s tournament and hold stroke play on day 1. The stroke play competition featured a standard 18-hole round with a seeded draw where male and female players each produced individual scores toward their teams’ final four-round totals. Foursomes and fourball were played on days 2 and 3. Six teams from host nation Hong Kong competed in this year’s tournament. The Hong Kong team 1 of Cyrus Lee Yu-fung and Selina Li Yuenyuet finished 15th with a score of 291, while the Hong Kong team 2 of Inara Diti Sharma and Yu Ka-jun finished 20th at 297. Sakke was part of the European team, which had a special invitation to compete. Meanwhile, Boys’ joint runner-up Jye Pickin said he was confident he would handle the step up to the senior ranks after finishing his junior career with his best international result. Pickin, who has just turned 18, is a Macquarie College year-12 student shot who performed extremely well in difficult conditions at the Clearwater Country Club in Hong Long. “It was one of my top three results,” Pickin told the Newcastle Herald. “I would have been happy with a top five and to get second was great. I played the same tournament two years ago and finished 12th. The course was set 2 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ September 2018
A winning team: Above, Caitlin Whitehead and Sakke Siltala; left, HKGA President Yoshihiro Nishi with APGC General Secretary K.J. Lee.
up in championship style. They have a big professional event there every year and it was set up the same way. The conditions were fairly brutal, with wind and rain. “The winner played a couple of groups behind me. There were a few putts I just missed down the stretch. But I didn’t think much of it at that stage, I was just trying to birdie the next hole.” He had earlier partnered Queenslander Cassie Porter, one of two mixed Australian
combinations, in four-ball and foursomes and finished seventh in the teams event. Pickin had to bring forward his business studies trial HSC exam to travel to Hong Kong. Next is the NSW Open at Twin Creeks from November 8-11. Pickin earned a start against the professionals as reward for winning the NSW Junior Open. “You just have to put it out of your head that they are professionals,” he said. “You can
still play as good as them. It’s about having that mindset.” One of the APGC’s marquee events, the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Junior Championship for the Mitsubishi Corporation Cup 2018 follows the Youth Olympic Games format, pairing a junior male and female player on each team and totalling their combined scores over four rounds to determine the winner. The 2018 tournament featured 68 players representing 16 countries and regions, including Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Europe, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand and Mongolia. Previous winners include Japan in 2017 and Korea in 2015 and 2016. Players who are 17 years or younger as of 29 August are eligible to enter the tournament. Each APGC member can enter a maximum of two teams.
Aussie star: Min Woo Lee. Photo: Golf Australia
AUSTRALIA SENDS POWERFUL TEAM TO AAC IN SINGAPORE Australia’s chances of taking out another Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship have been boosted by a team with the best potential yet.
The Australians will consist of a group of players all within the top 55 of the world amateur rankings. Golf Australia high-performance director Brad James says while the contingent on paper is the best sent to contest one of the world’s most prestigious amateur events there will need to be no hint of complacency. “We are thrilled to see all our guys go in to arguably the most important tournament of their young careers in such great form,” James said. “Some of our recent teams have been loaded with talent, too, but they’ve never held such high world rankings positions across the board – our depth is something we’re very proud of because there are some great young athletes who didn’t quite make the cut, too. “But in saying that, for all the great athletes who’ve represented us before at this magnificent tournament, we’ve only
won it twice (Antonio Murdaca and Curtis Luck) and the rankings are no guarantees of success.” The six top-ranked Australian players at the 12 July cut-off were chosen to play at the famous Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore from October 4-7.
‘Some of our recent teams have been loaded with talent, too, but they’ve never held such high world rankings positions across the board.’ By recent world rankings the Australian group boasts Min Woo Lee (No.9), David Micheluzzi (11), Dylan Perry (23), Shae Wools-Cobb (31), Zach Murray (34) and Blake Windred (54).
“It’s a great bunch of athletes,” James said. “They’ve each done some great things domestically and internationally in the past 18 months and Min Woo, Dylan and Shae were all prominent in this event at Royal Wellington last year, so they know what it takes. “We’ve been close a couple of times, so it would be nice to notch a third win in Singapore.” All six Australian players have been playing in Britain and North America for much of the past two months, showing good form in the world’s leading amateur events. They’re all desperate to repeat the success of Luck and take advantage of one of the greatest prizes in amateur golf – starts at the Masters and The Open. The winner of the title earns automatic starts at Augusta National and Royal Portrush in 2019, with the runner(s)-up being exempt into an Open Qualifying Series event to try to make The Open field. In the nine previous editions of the AsiaPacific Amateur Championship, China has won three, with Australia, Japan and Korea two each. – Courtesy Golf Australia September 2018 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ 3
Tokyo to host 2019 USGA Innovation Symposium The United States Golf Association will hold the 5th Golf Innovation Symposium in Tokyo from March 12-13, 2019 with the aim of furthering the organisation’s commitment to invest in innovative research, invite broad discussion about the game and deliver impactful technological advances and solutions to help golf facilities globally.
The gathering will discuss and demonstrate golf’s progress against the challenge statement issued by the USGA during the 2017 Symposium: Reduce critical resource consumption by 25 per cent while improving golfer satisfaction by 20 per cent by 2025. “The USGA has set a path forward to demonstrate our commitment to advancing the game toward a stronger, healthier and more sustainable future,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA. “We can only achieve this goal by fostering truly meaningful conversation and impactful innovation among golf facilities, which form the backbone of the industry and provide the product that golfers around the world enjoy every day.”
Presented by the USGA in conjunction with the Japan Golf Association (JGA), the 5th Golf Innovation Symposium will present voices from around the world aligned toward the singular goal of strengthening the long-term health of the game. Over the next several months, the USGA will work closely with the JGA on a comprehensive study of facilities and golfers in Japan, the second-largest golf nation in the world. The findings, which will be presented at the symposium, will provide insights into the topics that are most important to Japanese golfers and courses, and the research will be a key component of the symposium, which is expected to attract an audience composed of facility managers and key industry representatives from Japan and other Asian countries. “We attended the 2017 Golf Innovation Symposium in Vancouver, and we were very impressed by the way the USGA is thinking about the future of golf through research, science and innovation,” said Andy Yamanaka, the executive director of the JGA. “We look forward to partnering with
the USGA not only to help Japanese facility managers operate more efficiently and provide a better experience for our golfers, but also to share our outcomes with the golf world.” In addition to studying the Japanese golf landscape, the USGA and the JGA are planning to build a strong connection to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which has a vision that includes relevant concepts such as innovation, technology and sustainability. “The eyes of the world will be on the 2020 Olympics golf competition at Kasumigaseki Country Club,” JGA Chairman Tsunetada Takeda said. “By working together with the USGA, we are excited about demonstrating that a sport with so much history and tradition is at the forefront of employing cutting-edge solutions in order to advance the game for future generations to enjoy.” As in past symposiums, the USGA will canvass academia, the private sector and worldwide golf associations to select the most compelling, most relevant and most impactful content to help
Dagar SETS WORLD RECORD India’s Diksha Dagar has set a new record at the 12th World Deaf Golf Championships at the Carton House Golf Club from July 24-27.
There was an impressive field of 114 golfers from 18 countries participating in the biennial event. Dagar managed to set a new mark for the tournament with a score of 17-under after three rounds. She was set to attend the 2018 World Amateur Team Championships at the same venue in August. The champions in their respective events were: Men: Paul Waring (England); Women: Diksha Dagar (India); Senior Men: Keith Worek (USA); 4 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ September 2018
Record-setter: World Deaf Golf Championships winner Diksha Dagar.
Men’s Team: Australia; Women’s Team: Germany. The next WDGC will be held at the Forest of Arden Golf
Club, Warwickshire, England from August 7-15th, 2020. This event will mark the 25th anniversary of the
establishment of World Deaf Golf Federation when the first WDGC was held at the same site in 1995.
Chairman’s message
APGC Chairman Kei Muratsu The APGC is a Confederation of 42 National Federations (including newly joined Afghanistan Golf Association) and four Ladies Golf Associations, currently running nine events* with various partners. Our objectives specified in our Constitution are: n Further strengthen the bonds of friendship among Members as well as other representative organisations in golf throughout the world through friendly competitions in golf; n Assist Members in the development of golf within their respective countries; n Ensure Members adhere to the Rules of Golf as approved by The R&A; n Hold and/or promote events, tournaments and meetings to advance the Company and golf including the Team Championship and the Championship; n Work in co-operation with the International Golf Federation, The R&A and the Augusta National Golf Club in the promotion of golf; n Pursue through itself or others, such commercial arrangements, including sponsorship and marketing opportunities, as are appropriate to further these Objects; n Maintain and extend the operations and activities of the Company throughout the Asia-Pacific region; n Undertake and or do all things or activities which are necessary, incidental or conducive to the advancement of these Objects. Are those objectives still valid? Have we achieved those? I have been asking myself these questions. I can tell our championship games have exceeded the level of friendship. We are sending many star players to the world. The quality of the field reached the highest standard of the amateur games in the world. Our partnership with the R&A and the Masters Committee has been tightened through the AsiaPacific Amateur Championship and Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific.
Our co-operation with the International Golf Federation has been strengthened through our representation to its Administrative Committee and sanctioning the golf event at the Asian Games.
‘Golf can only be played in restful and peaceful surroundings. For the next decade why don’t we create a good network among us and make more friends? Golf is an independent game, but has to depend on so many people.’ Our relationship with European Golf Association is enhanced through the Bonallack Trophy/Patsy Hankins Trophy and their representation to our Junior Championship. We are a regional confederation, but operating with world-wide with renowned partners. Each National Federation governs its golfing activities in its own country, but through the association of the APGC it operates in the global field. With the emphasis in creating opportunities for elite amateurs for their advancement in future careers, we could provide several championships where elite amateur players are competing. We continue to pursue this. However, we have not done enough for many golfers who should feel more secured by playing golf and potential golfers who do not know yet the real charm of golf.
Golf can only be played in restful and peaceful surroundings. For the next decade why don’t we create a good network among us and make more friends? Golf is an independent game, but has to depend on so many people. The APGC Junior 2018 concluded with another success. The EGA team of Caitlin Whitehead (England) and Sakke Sakke Siltala (Finland) won the 2018 Championship. Sakke Siltala now wins a spot in the Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship-Diamond Cup, our only Professional Tournament in partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation, Kansai Broadcasting Co., and the Japan Golf Association. We would like to express our appreciation to the Hong Kong Golf Association and Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club for their tireless efforts to lead the Event a success. APGC Junior Boy’s champion Siltala is participating in Asia Pacific Diamond Cup with the support of EGA and Finland Golf Association. The largest ever number of amateurs players (17) will tee off, representing our Member Federations. In the first week of October, our precious event, the AsiaPacific Amateur Championship, will take place in Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore and we celebrate its 10th anniversary. It has been a long journey to reach this points but our mission has just begun.
*Nine events: AAC – Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship; WAAP – Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific; Nomura Cup – Asia Pacific Team Competition; QSC (Queen Sirikit Cup) – Asia Pacific Women’s Team Championship; Junior – APGC Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporation Cup; Senior – APGC Senior Championship; Mitsubishi Diamond – Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship - Diamond Cup; BT/PHT – Bonallack Trophy/Patsy Hankins Trophy
September 2018 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ 5
Danes topple Spain, Thailand at Toyota Junior World Cup
While Japan streaked away with the girls’ division, Denmark made a dramatic comeback to win the Boys’ section of the 2018 TOYOTA Junior Golf World Cup Supported by JAL.
The Japanese girls outpaced second-placed Korea by a whopping 10 shots but the task was not so straightforward for Denmark’s boys. They were forced to climb back from seven shots behind before finishing 23 under the card in total in Toyota City, AichiPrefecture, Japan. In their first title in the 26-year history of the event the Danes beat third-round leader Spain, who finished 21-under with Thailand third at 19 under par. “We’ve been really looking 6 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ September 2018
forward to this week and knew we had a strong team coming in,” Denmark coach Martin Raal Kold said. “We had a bit of a rough day yesterday but the boys came back today and performed as well as we’d hoped. It was just enough to pull it off.” Host Japan (-11) claimed the fourth spot while South Africa (-8) and Argentina (-1) also finished in the red. Mexico ended up at even par and moved into seventh – one shot ahead of eighthplaced Korea (+1). Sweden came in ninth at three-over while New Zealand (+5) and two-time defending champion United States (+7) checked in 10th and 11th respectively.
Italy (+8), Colombia (+12), Canada (+22) and Morocco (+48) rounded out the boys’ field. Rasmus Højgaard of Denmark took out the boys’ individual title at 16-under – four shots ahead of his twin brother Nicolai (-12). In the Girls’ Division, Japan’s dominance stunned this rivals. Korea finished 12 under par but were 10 off the pace overall. No other team finished below par. Canada and Sweden tied for third at two over – one stroke ahead of two-time defending champion United States (+3). “We were very calm today,” Japanese captain Gentaro Hashida said. “We played well
all four days and expected to do so. We have a very strong team and are proud to win the championship. ‘The icing on the cake was all three players birdied their final hole.” Colombia finished in sixth place at nine over while New Zealand checked in seventh (+17). South Africa (+27) and Italy (+33) closed out the girls’ field. Korea’s Lee Sujeong and Yuka Yasuda of Japan tied for the Girls’ Division individual trophy at 10-under. The other two Japanese participants – Yuna Nishimura (-9) and Ayaka Furue (-6) – finished third and fourth respectively.
R&A PRESENTs a NEW WOMEN’S GOLF CHARTER The R&A has unveiled a new Women in Golf Charter as part of the organisation’s drive to increase the number of women and girls participating in golf and to encourage more opportunities for women to work within the golf industry.
The Women in Golf Charter aims to inspire an industry-wide commitment to developing a more inclusive culture within golf around the world and to enable more women and girls to flourish and maximise their potential at all levels of the sport. Adoption of the Charter will also require national federations and other golf bodies to build on current initiatives and develop new projects that will focus on encouraging more women and girls to play golf and stay within the sport as members of clubs, while also empowering women to enjoy successful careers working within the golf industry. Specifically the Charter aims to: n Strengthen the focus on gender balance and provide a united position for the golf industry; n Commit national federations and organisations to support measures targeted at increasing participation of women, girls and families in golf; n Call on signatories to take positive action to support the recruitment, retention and progression of women working at all levels of the sport; n Set individual targets for national associations for participation and membership and annual reporting of progress; n Develop an inclusive environment for women and girls within golf. Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, outlined its plans to work in collaboration with its affiliated organisations, partners
From left: Speakers Chyloe Kurdas (Golf Australia), Hazel Irvine (BBC), Sarah Stirk (Sky Sports), Nick Pink (England Golf), Liz Dimmock (Moving Ahead) and Martin Slumbers (The R&A) at the launch of the Women in Golf Charter. Photo: The R&A
and the wider golf industry to achieve these goals at a launch event at The View from The Shard, one of London’s most iconic venues. Hosted by renowned sports broadcaster Hazel Irvine, the event also featured presentations and panel discussions with guest speakers including Nick Pink, Chief Executive of England Golf, Sky Sports’ Golf Presenter Sarah Stirk, Chyloe Kurdas, National Female Participation Manager at Golf Australia, and Liz Dimmock, Founder of Moving Ahead. The event was attended by representatives of golf organisations worldwide who have pledged their support as signatories of the Charter, including the European Tour, the Ladies’ European Tour, the European Golf Association, the Professional Golfers’ Association, the European Disability Golf Association, Golf Australia, Golf Canada, the Golfing Union of Ireland, England Golf, the Irish Ladies Golf Union, Scottish Golf and Wales Golf. Slumbers said, “We are asking the golf industry to recognise the real importance of increasing the number of women and girls playing golf and empowering
more women to enjoy successful careers at all levels of the sport. “The Charter is a strong statement of intent from the golf industry that it has to change and a commitment on behalf of all of us to take measures designed to achieve positive change for women, girls and families. This is crucial to growing participation in the sport in the years ahead. “The R&A plans to increase our overall investment in women’s, girls’ and mixed golf to £80 million over the next 10 years, a clear indication of our determination to develop the game in this area.” Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said: “We are committed to creating an environment where women and girls can succeed at every level of sport. “Interest in women’s sports is at an all-time high, with increased global interest and record attendances. I welcome The R&A’s strong commitment to encourage more women into golf and nurture future generations of talent.” Liz Dimmock, Founder of Moving Ahead, said: “The case for a more balanced and inclusive culture for golf is clear and a
real cultural shift is required within the sport to create a more equitable participation base that reflects the demands of current and future generations. “Women are also underrepresented at every level of the governance and business of the sport and this needs to be proactively addressed. The Women in Golf Charter is a signal to the industry that change is required, which can be achieved with a strong, positive vision for golf.” The Women in Golf Charter is another positive development for the sport following The R&A’s successful merger with the Ladies’ Golf Union last year. In 2018, the organisation also launched the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship which was staged at Sentosa, Singapore in February while the new Girls Under 16 Open Championship was played at Fulford, York last month. The R&A also provided an initial three-year funding package of £375,000 to its affiliates in Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to support the appointment of new development managers to work on increasing participation by women and girls. September 2018 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ 7
Kajitani, Thitikul score Junior Open top five Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani and Thai star Atthiya Thitikul have nailed down top five finishes in the Junior Open over the Eden Course at St Andrews.
The 14-year-old Kajitani finished runner-up just one shot behind winner, South Africa’s Martin Vorster, who survived a major scare to claim his first major international title. Vorster stumbled to a final-round 74 to finish five under the card on 205 while Kajitani bore down on him with birdies at two of her three closing holes to shoot a last round 70. Thitikul saved her best until last, firing a two-under-par 68 to move into a share of fifth spot with Argentinian Abel Gallegos on 209. Ahead of her, Czech Republic player Gordan Brixi fired a 64, the low round of the tournament, to move to fourth behind New Zealander Jayden Ford. Ford claimed third on 206 when he picked up for shots over his last 12 holes. The performance was all the more impressive as he lost his clubs in transit from London and had to play his opening round with a borrowed set. “It wasn’t ideal but that’s the way it is,” he said. “I managed to score a 69 so I can’t complain too much.” Vorster, a 16-year-old member of the Louis Oosthuizen Academy, was five shots clear of the field after opening rounds of 66 and 65 but after a solid start to his final round he found sand off the tee on the 346-yard par-four seventh on his way to running up a triple-bogey seven. The South African’s lead was suddenly cut to two but he showed solid composure by hitting his tee shot on the 178-yard par
three eighth to eight feet and then playing the next 10 holes in one-over-par to post a four-over-par 74 and become the first South African to win the championship. “That was a nervous moment,” he admitted. “I made a very stupid triple bogey but I told myself I was still in the lead and to forget about it and focus on the next shot. Fortunately, it turned out to be a good one, although I did miss the putt. “This win means a lot to me and especially because I came in here having finished second in my last two starts. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever make the breakthrough so I admit I’m a bit emotional at the moment. “I don’t really know what to say. It’s very special to win The Junior Open and all the more so because it’s here at the Home of Golf. You can’t get much better than that.” Vorster’s win came just a few weeks after his compatriot Jovan Rebula won The Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen and he went on to thank Rebula for his contribution towards his victory. “He watched me play the last few holes of the Dimension tournament and then came over to speak to me after I lost. “He is a big role model for me. I really look up to him so when he came up and told me I was a great golfer that really meant a lot. He told me to stay patient and the win would definitely come. “That was the key this week. I tried to stay patient even when things weren’t going well and I think that contributed to my success. “You know you’re going to get the odd bad bounce in these hard conditions but you’ve just got to learn to live with them and get on with the job.”
Winner: Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani.
Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation
Chairman Mr Keisuki Muratsu
Vice Chairman Treasurer Mr Taimur Amin Mr Philip Hassall
General Secretary Mr Kyungjae Lee
Mr Mohammed Faisal Al-Naimi
Rae Vadee T.Suwan
Nobuko Hirayama
Dato’ Rabeahtul Aloya Abbas
Mr Ishwar Achanta
John Hopkins
The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation encourages all member nations to contribute news from their countries for inclusion in the APGC journal. News items can be emailed to editor Robert Grant at rob.grant1948@gmail.com 8 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ September 2018