The Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament of the United States and the Britain's Royal and Ancient Gold Club (R&A) announced the creation of the Asian Amateur Championship in Hong Kong on Monday.

The first edition of the tournament will be held at Mission Hill Golf Club in Shenzhen from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, 2009. In the future, the event will be played in other countries and regions affiliated to the APGC, with the 2010 event scheduled to be played in Japan.

The inaugural tournament will have a maximum field of 120 amateur players.

The Masters Tournament and the R&A will financially underwrite and provide support to the APGC in running of the championship. In addition, the winner will receive an invitation to play in the 2010 Masters Tournament and, together with the runner-up, will earn a place in International Final Qualifying for the 139th Open Championships at St Andrews.

"Gold continues to grow in this region and what better way to stimulate that growth than to enter into this groundbreaking agreement with the Master and the R&A," said Tommy Lee, chairman of the APGC.

"This is an exciting partnership for gold in Asia-Pacific and the APGC is proud of its new affiliation. This initiative will help bring the game to new audiences in Asia-Pacific and will give aspiring amateur golfers a special opportunity in the game." he added.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2009)