The stage is set in Dubai this week for the 12th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and what could be shaping up as a battle between Yuxin Lin of China as he goes for a record third title and Keita Nakajima, the No. 1 amateur in the world.
And it could be a preview down the road for who will be the next PGA Tour winner.
Hideki Matsuyama is the first winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur (2010, 2011) to go on to become a major champion, winning the Masters this year. It was fitting because Augusta National and the R&A were behind the creation of the event. The idea stated by then-Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne was to “identify good golfers and create heroes.”
Lucas Herbert added to the heritage when he won the Butterfield Bermuda Championship last week. The 25-year-old Australian became the eighth Asia-Pacific Amateur participant to win on the PGA Tour.
The list includes K.H. Lee (Byron Nelson), Satoshi Kodaira (RBC Heritage), Cameron Smith (Sony Open), Si Woo Kim (Players Championship, Wyndham Champions, The American Express), C.T. Pan (RBC Heritage) and Cam Davis (Rocket Mortgage Classic).