Dubai-born prodigy Rayhan Thomas has urged UAE golfers Rayan Ahmed and Abdulla Kalbat to not be overawed by the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, as the duo prepare for their debut in the prestigious event.
Created in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
Six years ago in Singapore, Thomas, then an 18-year-old, finished in a share of second at the elite amateur event, just two shots behind champion Takumi Kanaya of Japan.
It was a remarkable comeback for the 2014 Emirates Golf Federation Order of Merit champion, who started the tournament in disastrous fashion with a four-over par 74 and was well outside the cutline.
But over the next 54 holes, Thomas made just two bogeys and 17 birdies to surge up the leaderboard with rounds of 64, 65 and 66. His share of second was, and remains, the best-ever finish by an Indian player in the tournament’s history.
Fast forward to 2024, Thomas, who turned professional earlier this season, has passed on some words of wisdom to the UAE contingent taking on Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan this week for the 2024 edition.
“I would just tell them to treat it like any other tournament,” Thomas told Gulf News.
“It’s a very prestigious event, but at the same time, you just have to look at it like a regular event.”
Kalbat is currently the highest ranked player from the UAE on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) in 515th.
He became the youngest Emirati to earn ranking, when just 16 years old, with victory at the Junior Masters Golf Tour at The Track, Medyan earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Ahmed has been one of the standout stars for the UAE since representing the country last year.
The 17-year-old secured both the Individual Gold and Team Gold at the GCC Golf Championship in Qatar in March, before narrowly missing the cut at the Abu Dhabi Challenge on his Challenge Tour debut after carding an impressive first round four under par 66.
Since then, he has won the inaugural GCC Youth Games and featured in both the US Junior Amateur Championship and US Amateur Championship, becoming the first player from the UAE to play in the latter two events.
They will join in the field by a host of star names, including defending champion Jasper Stubbs of Australia and four players representing China inside the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking: Wenyi Ding, Xihuan Chang, Xiangyun Bai and Paul Chang.
The champion this week will receive an invitation to compete in the 2025 Masters Tournament and The 153rd Open, while the runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.
