New Delhi, September 9 (HS): Current All India Amateur champion Anshul Mishra and rising golfer Rakshit Dahiya will spearhead the Indian contingent at the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Championship, to be held from October 23 to 26 at the iconic Majlis Course of Emirates Golf Club, Dubai.
Joining them in the four-member Indian squad are Raghav Gulati and Ranvir Mitroo, both with strong international exposure. Gulati, who has participated extensively in tournaments in Dubai, adds valuable local experience to the team. Among the group, Dahiya is the only one to have previously featured in this championship, making the cut in the 2024 edition in Japan where he finished tied-37th. Over the past year, he has claimed titles at the Delhi Golf Club Juniors, the Delhi NCR Cup, and the Samvir Sahi Amateur, and also impressed professionals with a top-10 finish at the Coal India Open on the Professional Golf Tour of India.
Mishra, meanwhile, rose to prominence with his historic 2024 win at the 132-year-old All India Amateur Championship. In recent months, he finished runner-up at the FCG Callaway event in the US and recorded multiple top-10 finishes in tournaments across Dubai and Singapore. His impressive junior career includes appearances at the Junior PGA, the US Junior Amateur, and the Callaway World Junior. Gulati made his mark with victories in the FGT Middle East and the Tommy Fleetwood Pathway International in Dubai, while Mitroo has consistently earned top-10 finishes in the Asia-Pacific Juniors (Hong Kong and Singapore) and AJGA events in the United States.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is regarded as the premier amateur event in the region. The winner will be invited to the 2026 Masters Tournament and gain direct entry into the 154th Open Championship. The runners-up will earn spots in The Open Qualifying Series, while the top three finishers will receive automatic entry into the 131st Amateur Championship. The event will feature around 120 players, with 117 already confirmed, representing top golfing nations.
This year’s field includes highly rated names such as Harry Takis (Australia), Zixin Zhou (China), Kent Hsiao (Chinese Taipei), Jeffrey Shen (Hong Kong), Rehan Latief (Indonesia), and Taisai Nagasaki (Japan). Historically, China leads with five titles, followed by Australia and Japan with four each, and Korea with two. No Indian golfer has won the championship to date, although India’s Rayhan Thomas – now a professional – finished runner-up in 2018.
Notable past participants of the event include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner here, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith.
—————
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
