Dubai, Oct 21 (NationPress) Rakshit Dahiya stands as the sole participant among the five Indian amateurs at the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship who has experience in this prestigious event. However, the remaining four players are not short on international exposure. The tournament, set to kick off on Thursday, runs through Sunday.

This week, the five players will don the Indian colors at the world-renowned Emirates Golf Club's Majlis Course, making its debut as the Championship venue. The event returns to Dubai for the second time, having previously taken place in 2021.

Despite no Indian having clinched the coveted title, Rayhan Thomas, now a professional golfer, was the runner-up in 2018 at Sentosa, Singapore. Interestingly, Rayhan grew up in Dubai and currently competes in the Korn Ferry Tour in the US.

Ranked 313th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Dahiya leads the Indian contingent, but Anshul Mishra, the current All India Amateur Champion, along with Ranveer Mitroo, Raghav Gulati, and Harman Sachdeva, have all amassed significant international amateur golf experience over recent years.

Dahiya will leverage his extensive tournament experience, while Mishra will rely on his familiarity with the Majlis Course, where he previously finished fifth in the Junior Dubai Desert Classic.

Gulati, who competes in college golf at the University of Southern California and has childhood ties to Dubai, is well-acquainted with the Majlis Course.

Earlier this year, Gulati triumphed in the Tommy Fleetwood International Pathway Series, adding to his accolades from multiple events in the UAE.

Sachdeva also had a notable year, finishing as runner-up in the Mandiri Ciputra Golfpreneur Junior World Championship in Indonesia and securing a World Amateur Golf Ranking event win in 2024.

The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship boasts extraordinary prizes in amateur golf, with the champion earning an invitation to the 2026 Masters Tournament and exemptions into The 154th Open in 2026. The runners-up will qualify for the Open Qualifying Series, while the top three finishers gain entry into the 131st Amateur Championship.

A total of 120 amateurs from 41 nations will compete for the esteemed title, offering an invitation to the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and exemptions into The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and the 131st Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool. However, champions must maintain their amateur status.

The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, established in 2009 through a partnership between the APGC, the Masters Tournament, and The R&A, has seen notable alumni like Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time Asia-Pacific Amateur champion and 2021 Masters winner, and Cameron Smith, champion of The 150th Open.

Other distinguished players who have leveraged the Asia-Pacific Amateur for professional success include Australia’s Cameron Davis, Min Woo Lee, Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan, Korea’s Si-Woo Kim and Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Japan’s Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima, and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox.

In total, alumni of the Championship have accumulated 27 victories on the PGA Tour and over 130 wins across major professional tours.