20TH ASIA¡€PACIFIC AMATEUR GOLF TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP(NOMURA
CUP)
A
stralia are set to defend their title at the Asia Pacific
Amateur Golf Team Championship which start at Wu Yi Fountain
Plam Golf club in Jiangmen on October 25th. This is the
first time that championship will be hosted in mainland
China and represents another major step forward for Chinese
golf. This id the premier amateur golf event of the Asia
Pacificregion and involves teams stretching from Iran in
the middle east to New Zealand in the Pacific area. Many
of the compertitors are the golfing stars of the future
who are out to prove themselves against the best amateur
talent in the region. The ruling body for amateur golf in
the region is the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation and there
are 25 member golf associations,making it one of the biggest
areas in the world for amateur golf.
Korea
were runners up last time and hope to go one better this
year but they will face an extremely strong challenge from,
not only holders Australia,but also New Zealand(3rd place
finishers last year). China finished in 12th place in last
event and it would be good to see just how far golf has
developed here with a,hopefully,much improved performance
this year. The Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship was
first held in 1963. Shun Nomura,then Vice President of the
Japan Golf Association,donated a trophy and now the Champioship
is also called The Nomura Cup. In those early years only
three teams were involved-Japan,Chinese Taipei and Philippines.
On the final day of that first Champioship, the Amateur
Golf Federation of Asia was officially established and,
15 years later, in 1978,it changed to the Asia Pacific Golf
Confederation with 17members including the Australian Golf
Union and the New Zealand Golf Association. In 1983,the
number of teams competing had risen to 12 and thereafter
about 14 teams have competed. It is hoped that soon all
25 member golf associations will send teams to compete.
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