Top amateur golfer Viraj Madappa will spearhead the Indian challenge at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) scheduled to be held at the Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club from October 1 to 4.
Madappa will lead a group of six Indian amateur golfers at the annual event which in its seventh edition moved to Hong Kong for the first time.
The highlight of the AAC, which is played at a different venue throughout Asia-Pacific, is that it is organised by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation in conjunction with the Masters Tournament and The R&A.
The champion receives an invitation to the Masters and, along with the runner-up, gains entry to The Open Qualifying Series for The Open.
The 17-year-old Madappa, comes on the back of a fine win at the Taiwan Amateur Golf Championship and becoming the first amateur from his country to play at the Porter Cup.
Madappa is the only Indian currently in the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking and he aims to bring the AAC crown to India for the first time.
Having made the cut the past two years, the Kolkata-based talent is an experienced participant at the AAC and knows exactly what to expect in Hong Kong.
"The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is the pinnacle of amateur golf in our region and a highlight of my tour calendar every year. Performing well gives us such a confidence boost because you know you are competing against the very best, and the ultimate prize in itself is such a motivation, too," Madappa said.
"India is now on the world map of golf and we have quite a few world-class players on the pro tours doing amazingly well. Of course I hope I can follow their footsteps and make a name for myself in the not-too-distant future," he said.
Aman Raj, who is currently around the 200 mark on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, recently reached a milestone in his short career by clinching the pole position of the Order of Merit of Indian amateur golfers.
The 20-year-old was India's second best finisher at the AAC behind Rigel Fernandes last year and considers the event a good platform to develop his game.
