MUSCAT — Omani golfers Azzan Al Rumhy and Ahmed Al Wahaibi are set to represent Oman on one of amateur golf’s most prestigious stages — the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) — scheduled from October 23–26, 2025 at the iconic Majlis Course of Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, UAE.
Now in its 16th edition, the championship was inaugurated in 2009 under a partnership between the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A, and the Masters Tournament, aimed at advancing the level of amateur golf across the Asia-Pacific region.
The stakes are high for this year’s field: the champion earns a coveted invitation to the 2026 Masters Tournament and an exemption into The 154th Open. The runner(s)-up claim spots in The Open Qualifying Series, while the top three finishers will be granted exemptions into The 131st Amateur Championship.
For 42-year-old Al Rumhy, this marks his impressive 11th appearance at the championship — reflecting a long-standing commitment to elevate Omani golf on the global scene. His compatriot Al Wahaibi, who debuted in 2021 at Dubai Creek, will return for his third AAC appearance, eager to continue his upward trajectory in the sport.
The 2025 event has attracted a stellar field of 116 confirmed participants from 42 APGC member organizations, within a capped field of 120 players. Standout entrants include Harry Takis of Australia, Ziqin Zhou of China (2024 runner-up), Kent Hsiao of Chinese Taipei, Jeffrey Shen of Hong Kong, China, and talented players from Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand, such as Taisei Nagasaki, Rintaro Nakano, and Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat.
In addition to Oman, the championship will also showcase the region’s rising talent from the Middle East, including Jordan’s Mousa Shana’ah, Mohammad Alrawashdeh, Salem Alabdallat, Hashem Shana’ah, Saudi Arabia’s Ali Alsakha and Khalid Saud AlFaisal, Qatar’s Saleh Ali Alkaabi and Ali Abdulla Al Shahrani, and UAE’s own strong five-player team: Ahmad Skaik, Sam Mullane, Jonathan Selvaraj, Abdulla Kalbat, and Rayan Ahmed.
Vice Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), General Abdullah Al Hashmi, said:
“To see such an exceptional field of amateur golfers coming together at Emirates Golf Club is a proud moment for us. The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship continues to showcase the very best emerging talent from across our region, and this year is no exception. For the United Arab Emirates, having five of our own players competing on home soil makes the occasion even more special.
It is a chance for them to test themselves against the strongest amateurs in Asia-Pacific, to inspire the next generation of Emirati golfers, and to demonstrate the progress our nation has made in the game. We look forward to welcoming every player to Dubai for what promises to be a historic week of golf.”
The championship has historically served as a launchpad for global golf superstars. Notable past champions and competitors include Hideki Matsuyama (two-time AAC winner and 2021 Masters Champion), Cameron Smith (2022 Open Champion), as well as Takumi Kanaya, Keita Nakajima, Cameron Davis, Min Woo Lee, Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, and C.T. Pan. Collectively, alumni of the AAC have amassed over 33 PGA Tour titles and 140+ victories across the top professional circuits worldwide.
Hosting the championship for the first time, the Majlis Course stands as a revered icon in Middle East golf. Designed by Karl Litten and unveiled in 1988, it was the region’s first grass course and annually hosts the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic — an event previously won by legends like Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Ernie Els, who holds the course record of 61. Significantly, Lucas Herbert of Australia became the first AAC alum to secure victory at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2020, underlining the caliber of the championship’s graduates.
As the countdown begins to one of the most anticipated events in amateur golf, the spotlight turns to Dubai — where rising stars will seek history among storied fairways, with dreams of Augusta, The Open, and beyond in their sights.
Team V.DIR-EM-UAE
