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Inaugural Asian Amateur Championship will be played in October 2009 at Mission Hills Golf Club

Winner receives invitation to compete in the 2010 Masters Winner and runner-up will earn a place in International Final Qualifying for The Open

16 February 2009, Hong Kong: The Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament, and The R&A today announced the creation of the Asian Amateur Championship as part of a partnership committed to promoting the game of golf in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Masters Tournament and The R&A will financially underwrite and provide support to the APGC in the running of the championship. In addition, the winner will receive an invitation to play in the 2010 Masters Tournament, and, together with the runner-up, will earn a place in International Final Qualifying for The 139th Open Championship at St Andrews.

“Golf continues to grow in this region and what better way to stimulate that growth than to enter into this groundbreaking agreement with the Masters and The R&A,” said Tommy Lee, Chairman of the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation.  “This is an exciting partnership for golf in Asia-Pacific and the APGC is proud of its new affiliation. This initiative will help bring the game to new audiences in Asia-Pacific and will give aspiring amateur golfers a special opportunity in the game.”  Read more... (950 words, estimated 3:48 mins reading time)