The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, the regionâs premier amateur golf tournament, will be televised across 150 countries and reach millions of homes around the world, the eventâs Founding Partners â the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A âannounced today.
From 23 â 26 October, a 120-player field will compete in the 72-hole stroke play event on the Composite Course at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club. In addition to the contributions of the Founding Partners, the event is supported by six Proud Partners â AT&T, Mercedes-Benz, Samsung, Zurich, UPS and 3M â and two Scoring Partners, Rolex and IBM.
Asian Tour Media will produce the high-definition broadcast, including increased live coverage of three hours on each of the four competition days. A 30-minute highlight show will also be created after the conclusion of the event, all of which makes the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship the most televised amateur golf tournament in the world.
For the sixth time, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship will gather the top amateur players to determine the regionâs best golfer of the year. With an invitation to play in the 2015 Masters Tournament awaiting the winner, and a spot for both the winner and the runner(s)-up in next yearâs Open Qualifying Series for The Open Championship at St Andrews at stake, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship gives players the opportunity to gain experience at the gameâs highest level.
âExtensive television exposure is one of the many important elements in furthering our mission to grow the game in this region,â said Dr. David Cherry, Chairman of the APGC. âBy increasing the visibility of golf and highlighting the best players from this area of the world, we can attract more people to the sport through establishing golfing heroes and role models for new and younger audiences.â
The English-speaking commentary team will include Bill Macatee, a regular member of the Masters Tournament television broadcast, who will now be announcing his fifth Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. Frank Nobilo, one of New Zealandâs
most successful golfers and Golf Channel analyst in the United States, will return for the third consecutive year.
FOX SPORTS Australia Commentator Brett Ogle, a winner on the PGA Tour, and Australian golf journalist Bruce Young will complete the commentary team handling interviews and on-course reporting duties, respectively.
With a host of broadcast partners around the globe, golf fans can follow the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship through TV channels covering key markets on five continents. Live coverage will be broadcast on 23 and 24 October between 1:30 â 4:30 pm and from Noon â 3 pm on 25 and 26 October (Melbourne time) across Africa, Asia, Australasia, North America and South America.
FOX SPORTS Australia will provide event coverage throughout this yearâs host country. FOX SPORTS Asia will broadcast across Asia and the Middle East, while viewers in Japan, South Korea, China and New Zealand can catch the action on Tokyo Broadcasting System, SBS Golf, LeTV / Travel Channel and Sky Sports, respectively. In Europe, the Championship will be distributed via extended highlights on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and CNBC across continental Europe. Other broadcasters include ESPN2 / ESPN News (United States), ESPN (Latin America), TSN (Canada) and SuperSport (Southern Africa). All of the coverage will also be streamed live on the official event website, www.AACgolf.com.
Spectators are encouraged to attend, and entry into The Royal Melbourne Golf Club for the 2014 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship will be free.
