Malaysia’s leading amateur golfers Anson Yeo and Nateesh Ganesh will lead a five-man challenge at the 17th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Te Arai Links’ South Course in New Zealand from October 29-November 1, 2026, as they bid to become the country’s first winner in the prestigious Championship.
Yeo, Malaysia’s No. 1-ranked amateur, will make a fifth successive appearance at the Asia-Pacific Amateur, while Loyola Marymount University junior Nateesh returns to the Championship after a three-year absence.
Hariz Hezri has also been confirmed for his third appearance, while Afham Othman and Aiden Kei will make their debuts at the Championship, which was launched in 2009 by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the region.
This year’s champion will receive an invitation to the 2027 Masters Tournament and an exemption into the 155th Open.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said the 20-year-old Yeo, who will be making his fifth straight appearance, with his best finish of T21 coming last year. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about Te Arai Links and it will be a good test.
“Being able to compete for the fifth time is something I’m very proud of. You play against the best amateurs from Asia-Pacific, and the standard is extremely high. It’s a prestigious event and you get to play in the Masters and The Open if you win it.
“For a Malaysian to win the AAC, I think it is possible and I hope I am the first one to do it this year.”
Nateesh has already shown his promise by winning the UC San Diego Invitational, an NCAA Division I event at Torrey Pines in March, to go along with five other top-10 finishes in his U.S. collegiate journey. Only a handful of Malaysian golfers, including Gavin Green and Mirabel Ting, have won NCAA Division I tournaments in the U.S.
“I’m grateful and super pumped for this opportunity. It’s one of the best amateur events out there,” said Nateesh, who played in three successive Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships in 2021 (MC), 2022 (MC) and 2023 (T63).
“A couple of years ago, I would say it’s a great experience and fun to play at cool golf courses. But nowadays, I view it differently. If I win this, I get to play in the majors. As an amateur, it’s such an honour. You get a chance to compete and if you play well, you get to tee up in the Masters and The Open. The Asia-Pacific Amateur is a great opportunity to get to the top-tier level.”
The Malacca-born Nateesh has been buoyed by his win at Torrey Pines, which has added to his self-belief that he can compete at the highest level in the amateur game before eventually turning professional.
“It was pretty sick to win at Torrey Pines, and I don’t know any other cool place to have done this. Some events humble you and some give you a boost. This one boosted my confidence for sure. If I am playing good golf, I feel I can beat anyone,” added the 21-year-old, who was named to the West Coast Conference Men’s Golf All-Conference Team in May.
The 20-year-old Aiden cannot wait to tee up at Te Arai Links as he seeks a memorable debut showing. He holds two wins that count towards the World Amateur Golf Ranking, including a domestic professional event in April in which he beat the likes of Asian Tour winners Gavin Green and Ben Leong.
“It’s incredibly special. Growing up, it was always a tournament I aspired to play in. Beyond that, I think the AAC has been instrumental in elevating the standard of golf in Asia-Pacific,” said Aiden.
The college student hopes to use the experience of beating some of Malaysia’s leading professional golfers as an inspiration. “That was a significant moment for me,” he said.
“Competing against the professionals and coming out on top gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities. It showed that my game can hold up under pressure. More importantly, it taught me how to manage myself in stressful situations, which is something I’ve carried forward into every tournament since.”
In the history of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, Malaysia’s best finish has been recorded by Mohd Iszaimi Ismail (7th/2009), Ervin Chang (7th/2018) and Marcus Lim T7/2023).
A total of 117 players from 40 APGC member organisations have been confirmed to date for the 120-player field at the Championship.
The field is highlighted by eight players inside the top 60 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking: Harry Takis of Australia (No. 17), Zackary Swanwick of New Zealand (No. 19), reigning champion Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand (No. 29), Nguyen Anh Minh of Vietnam (No. 30), Josh Duangmanee of Thailand (No. 41), 2024 runner-up Ziqin Zhou of China (No. 46), Taishi Moto of Japan (No. 49) and Jaden Dumdumaya of the Philippines (No. 51). Representatives from five countries have claimed titles at the Asia-Pacific Amateur, including China (five), Australia (four), Japan (four), the Republic of Korea (two) and Thailand (one).
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith and 2026 Open champion Ryan Fox. Over the Championship’s 16-year history, the event has served as a springboard for some of the world’s top players, including Matsuyama, 2018 champion Takumi Kanaya and 2021 champion Keita Nakajima of Japan; Smith, Cameron Davis and Min Woo Lee of Australia; New Zealand’s Fox; the Republic of Korea’s Si Woo Kim; and Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan.
