The Championship will return to Dubai and the Middle East for the second time after its debut in the region in 2021. The field is comprised annually of the top male amateurs in the Asia-Pacific region representing the 43 Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation affiliated organisations. The champion of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur will receive an invitation to compete in the following year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and an exemption into The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. The runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open. Return to UAE “We have a proud tradition of hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at world-class venues and are continuing that with the hosting of the 2025 edition at Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis Course,” said Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, on behalf of the Founding Partners. “Dubai and the United Arab Emirates have a rich history of golf in the region, including the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur won by Keita Nakajima, and we are thrilled to watch some of the best players in the world return next year.” Notable past competitors include Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur and the 2021 Masters champion, and Cameron Smith, champion of The 150th Open. Other top players that have used the Asia-Pacific Amateur as a springboard to a notable professional career include Australia’s Cameron Davis and Min Woo Lee, Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan, the Republic of Korea’s Si-Woo Kim and Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Japan’s Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox. Collectively, alumni of the Championship have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 events across major professional tours. Growth in the region “Bringing the collection of talent from across the Asia-Pacific region to Emirates Golf Club in 2025 will be an honor,” said General Abdullah Al Hashmi, Vice Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation. “We have seen firsthand the growth of golf and a number of prestigious tournaments in the United Arab Emirates over the years and we are excited for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur to continue that legacy.” Designed by Karl Litten and established in 1988 as the first grass course in the Middle East, Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis Course is located south of downtown Dubai and enjoys views of the city’s skyline. The Majlis Course annually serves as the host of the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, an event won by the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els, the latter of which owns the course record of 61. Australia’s Lucas Herbert won the Dubai Desert Classic in 2020 to become the first alum to win the event five years after his final appearance at the Asia-Pacific Amateur. Emirates Golf Club will host the Asia-Pacific Amateur for the first time.

Buyers of golf resort real estate are younger and acting more decisively, according to new research. They are also prepared to pay on average 19% more to live inside a golf resort than outside, and a further average premium of 16.5% to have a view of the course. These are the findings of the latest study conducted by European Tour Destinations, a network of world-class golf venues, and explained in a new multimedia feature: A Changing Landscape: Golf Real Estate in 2024. Sandra Ruttle, European Tour Destinations’ real estate consultant, said: “We felt it was the right time to conduct this new study to understand the market post-pandemic. “Having undertaken similar research in 2018, it made sense to update our earlier findings and get a clearer picture of the current golf property market, premiums, buyer profiles and any new sector trends.” The report, based on the completed sales of 138 plots, villas, townhouses and apartments during 2023, gives a clear picture of the market and highlights the shifts in consumer behaviour. It also reveals the sales and marketing tools driving success for venues in the network. “It’s heartening that real estate within European Tour Destinations resorts still commands higher prices than equivalent homes outside the venues,” continued Ruttle. “This demonstrates our venues’ determination to stay ahead of the curve and deliver services and value that outstrip the local competition. “Other insights from this research include the average age of buyers, which is now in the early fifties, down from around retirement age – something that can be attributed to rising wealth in younger people and the trend for working from home. “And they are making decisions quicker. In the past, it would take typically three to four visits before buying; now it’s one or two visits for the vast majority of sales, with an average buying period of 12 weeks from initial contact to purchase completion.” A Changing Landscape: Golf Real Estate in 2024 also shares insights from Camiral Golf & Wellness in Catalonia, Pirin Golf & Country Club, Bulgaria, Estonian Golf & Country Club and Quinta do Lago in Portugal.