Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club
SAI KUNG, Hong Kong (Sept. 28, 2015) -- The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, the region’s premier amateur golf tournament, will be televised across 160 countries and reach millions of homes around the world, the event’s Founding Partners – the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A – announced today.
From 1 – 4 October, a 120-player field will compete in the 72-hole stroke play event at The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club in Hong Kong. In addition to the contributions of the Founding Partners, the championship is supported by six Proud Partners – AT&T, 3M, Mercedes-Benz, Samsung, Zurich and UPS – and two Scoring Partners, Rolex and IBM.
Asian Tour Media will produce the high-definition broadcast, which includes three hours of live coverage on each of the four competition days. A 30-minute highlight show will also be created after the conclusion of the event, all of which makes the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship the most televised amateur golf tournament in the world.
With an invitation to play in the 2016 Masters Tournament awaiting the winner, and a spot for both the winner and the runner(s)-up in next year’s Open Qualifying Series for The Open at Royal Troon at stake, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship gives players the opportunity to gain experience at the game’s highest level.
Speaking about the role that television has played in the development of the event over the years, Dr. David Cherry, Chairman of the APGC, said, “In six years, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship has successfully established itself as Asia’s preeminent amateur event and one of the most highly regarded amateur championships in the world. Our international broadcast partners have played a crucial role in building the profile of the championship and making it available to a truly global audience. We are extremely grateful for all our partners for the support that they continue to lend in growing the game of golf throughout the Asia-Pacific region.”
The English-speaking commentary team will include Bill Macatee, a regular member of the Masters Tournament television broadcast, who will now be announcing his sixth Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. Frank Nobilo, one of New Zealand’s most successful golfers and CBS analyst in the United States, will return for the fourth consecutive year and will be joined for the first time by double major winner and ESPN broadcaster Dottie Pepper. Pepper and golf journalist Bruce Young will handle player interviews and on-course reporting duties.
With a host of broadcast partners around the globe, golf fans can follow the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship through TV channels covering key markets on five continents. Live coverage will be broadcast on 1 and 2 October between 2 – 5 p.m. and from Noon – 3 p.m. on 3 and 4 October (Hong Kong time) across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North and South America.
Fox Sports will provide live coverage of the event throughout the region, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia. Tokyo Broadcasting System, SBS Golf / SBS CNBC, LeTV / Travel Channel and Sky Sports will also provide live coverage for their territories in Japan, South Korea, China and New Zealand, respectively. For the first time, Eurosport will deliver coverage live across continental Europe. The Championship will also be distributed via extended highlights on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and CNBC across its European territories. Other broadcasters include ESPN2 (United States), ESPN (Latin America), TSN (Canada) and SuperSport (Southern Africa). Live coverage will also be streamed on the official event website, www.AACgolf.com.
Spectators are encouraged to watch the drama unfold at The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club. Entry to the 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is free of charge.
ABOUT THE
Asia-Pacific Amateur
The Asia-Pacific Amateur (formerly known as the
Asian Amateur) is the first of a series of
worldwide
championships put together by a between the
Asia
Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters
Tournament and The R&A. The event offers the
winner an invitation to the Masters Tournament at
Augusta National Golf Club and the British Open
Championship.
The event has historically moved throughout the
region and has now been held in China,
Japan, Singapore, Thailand,
Australia and Hong Kong, Korea, and New
Zealand.
A field, topping out at 120 players, is selected by
the
following criteria.
The top two ranked amateur players from
each
of the APGC member countries plus the four
top ranked players from the host country. If
there is not a sufficient number of players
ranked from that member country, the
member
country may nominate a player(s) from
their
country, to be approved by the APGC, to
fulfill
the two positions eligible from that country.
The remainder of the field will be filled
taking
the next highest ranked players of APGC
member countries, not otherwise qualified.
The
maximum number of eligible players from
any
APGC member country (with the exception
of
the host country) is six. Additional players may
be offered at the event's discretion.
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