Singaporean Hiroshi Tai, the winner of this year's NCAA Division 1 Individual Championship, will represent the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Team in the upcoming Bonallack Trophy at Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah.
Following their exhilarating victory in Spain last year, the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) is poised to defend their Bonallack Trophy title, a Ryder Cup-style tournament, at Al Hamra Golf Club from January 8th to 10th, 2024. The team, featuring 12 players all ranked within the top 236 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), includes five members in the WAGR top 100 and five more in the top 200. The APGC team showcases a diverse lineup with two players each from Japan, New Zealand, and Thailand, and one from China, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam. This formidable group aims to retain the prestigious title in a highly competitive event at one of the region's top golf venues.
“We’re thrilled to have such a talented group of young men representing us. They will play with pride and passion, not just for themselves but for their countries and the continent,” said non-playing captain Rishi Narain, who also captained the winning team at La Manga 15 months ago. “We’re fortunate to have so many outstanding players, a reflection of the strong elite level in men’s amateur golf across the region.”
The team includes US college standouts like Phichaksn Maichon of Thailand, Hiroshi Tai of Singapore, Enrique Dimayuga of the Philippines, and New Zealand’s Zach Swanwick. Additionally, four members of the International Team from September’s Junior Presidents Cup are part of the lineup: Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh, Thai Thanawin Lee, Indian Kartik Singh, and New Zealand’s Joshua Bai. China’s Zhou Ziqin and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano, who finished second and third at last month’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), also bolster the team’s strength.
Completing the APGC roster are Hong Kong’s Jeffrey Wong Ngai Shen and Japan’s Taishi Moto, both of whom had top-20 finishes at the AAC and represented their countries admirably at the recent Asia-Pacific Amateur Team Championships for the Nomura Cup.
“Our team has a great mix of players who are excelling in American colleges and those who are transitioning from junior golf in our region,” said Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the APGC.
The highest-ranked players in the team are Texas A&M’s Phichaksn (24th in the WAGR) and Georgia Tech’s Tai, who made history in May by winning the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Championship, becoming the first Asian to do so in its 127-year history. This achievement earned Tai starts in this year’s US Open and The Masters Tournament in 2025. Currently ranked 30th in the WAGR, Tai is also the first Singaporean to compete in these two major championships.
Vietnam’s Anh Minh, who led his country to a historic first victory in the Nomura Cup, is another standout. Anh Minh and New Zealand’s Bai are the only two players from last year’s APGC team that won the Bonallack Trophy in Spain.
“That was an incredible experience, and I’m excited to represent the Asia-Pacific again in January,” said 17-year-old Anh Minh, who plans to play collegiate golf at Oregon State University.
APGC Team (Nationality and World Amateur Golf Ranking as of November 13 in brackets): Phichaksn Maichon (Thailand, 24); Hiroshi Tai (Singapore, 30); Nguyen Anh Minh (Vietnam, 58); Enrique Dimayuga (Philippines, 63); Rintaro Nakano (Japan, 98); Zhou Ziqin (China, 116); Jeffrey Wong Ngai Shen (Hong Kong, 146); Kartik Singh (India, 152); Zach Swanwick (New Zealand, 163); Thanawin Lee (Thailand, 166); Joshua Bai (New Zealand, 206); Taishi Moto (Japan, 236)
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