By Kent Gray
For an resounding and timely endorsement of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (ACC) as a launchpad to the big time, we present the “Japanese Elvis”, Hideki Matsuyama. 

The 29-year-old won the ACC back-to-back in 2010 and 2011 and has gone on to achieve reasonable things a decade later; a green jacket as reigning Masters champion and a seventh PGA Tour title as the freshly-minted Zozo Championship winner.

Invites to April’s Masters tournament at Augusta National and the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews next July will again be the huge lure for players hoping to emulate Matsuyama at the 12th edition of the ACC at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club this month.

A place in amateur folklore also beckons for Yuxin Lin who will attempt to defend the title he won in a playoff at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai in 2019 (the tournament was cancelled last year due to COVID-19). The 21-year-old Chinese player will attempt to distance himself from Matsuyama as the most successful player in AAC history after also winning the title at Royal Wellington in New Zealand in 2017.

“It would be a dream come true if I can win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship for a third time,” said Lin, a University of Florida junior who is no stranger to UAE conditions having finished tied for 30th in the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi Championship last year.

“To already be placed in the same bracket as Hideki Matsuyama as a two-time champion is surreal so to get one ahead would be amazing.”

“It is the biggest tournament in our part of the world and I know how much the players will be eager to get their hands on the trophy. It is an incredible opportunity to gain an invitation to the Masters and a place in The 150th Open at St Andrews next year. It will be a tough task but I will give it my best shot.”

MORE: Cambodian golfer represents big dreams of competitors in the Asia-Pacific Amateur

The Beijing left-hander won’t have it easy at The Creek.

Japan’s Keita Nakajima is the world amateur No.1 and has been an unstoppable force in his home country. In his last three starts, he has won the Japan Amateur Championship, followed by triumph at the Panasonic Open against a quality field of professionals on the Japan Golf Tour.

“I want to be with Hideki san when he defends his Masters title next year so this is my best chance to fulfil that dream.”
– Japan’s World No.1 Keita Nakajima

Nakajima, who came close to winning the AAC in 2018 in Singapore when he was a co-leader going into the final round but his fine 67 was upstaged by compatriot and best friend Takumi Kanaya (65), won the Mark McCormack Medal in August for being the top-ranked amateur in the world. He took over the number one position from Kanaya after the latter turned professional in 2020.

With most amateur tournaments in the Asia-Pacific region cancelled due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the 21-year-old Nippon Sport Science University student has relied on playing against professionals in the last couple of years. Apart from his recent Panasonic Open win, he also finished second in the Token Homemate Cup in April (finishing one stroke behind Kanaya) and third in last year’s Mitsui Sumitomo Taiheiyo Masters.

Nakajima, who said he cried on the day Kanaya decided to turn professional, added: “I’m an amateur who is at college, so it is an honour that I get the chance to play against the professionals. I feel it provides me with a great challenge to compete against them and that it has helped me become a better player.

“Of course, my confidence is high because of the win but I know I will still have to play at my best in Dubai to be in contention on the final day. I want to be with Hideki san when he defends his Masters title next year so this is my best chance to fulfil that dream and get to play alongside him at Augusta National Golf Club,” added Nakajima who is already assured of a place at The Open next year and the U.S. Open as a result of winning the McCormack Medal.

UAE No.1 Ahmad Skaik has secured a spot in the field along with compatriots Khalid Yousuf, Khalifa Al Masaood and Rashid Al Emadi, while Arkesh Bhatia, another big name on the UAE scene, will be representing India.

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What: 12th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (ACC)
Where: Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club
When: Nov. 3-6