The UAE will be sending two teams to compete in this week’s 2024 Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Junior Championship in the Phillipines.
Mohammad Skaik, Aasiya Saleem, Rayan Ahmed, and Anca Mateiu will be flying the flag for the UAE at the Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club, with the Jack Nicklaus-designed Signature Golf Course set to offer a stern test to competitors.
For Ahmed, the tournament will act as preparation for his maiden start at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Gotemba, Japan at the beginning of October.
The 17-year-old has been one of the standout stars for the UAE since representing the country last year.
He 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.
He will team up with Mateiu, who is the highest-ranked UAE woman in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) in 343rd after winning a series of events on the GEM Junior Master Golf Tour in recent months.
Her compatriot, Saleem, who finished in second at the inaugural GCC Youth Games earlier this year, will team up with Skaik, who collected the silver medal for the UAE at the 18 & Under GCC Championship earlier this season.
The APGC Junior Championships are the Asia-Pacific’s premier team and individual championship for boys and girls.
Players who are 17 years or under as of August 30 each year are eligible to participate. The winner of the boy's individual competition receives an exemption to play in the Diamond Cup in Japan and the girl's winner receives an opportunity to play in the KIA Korea Women’s Open.
Each APGC member organization can enter a maximum of two teams of two players (one male and one female), except for the hosts, who are allowed to enter three teams.
Teams play fourballs on the first day, foursomes on the second day and singles on the third day. The four combined scores count for each team’s total.
Inaugurated in 2015, the event announced the potential of Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, who tied for the top spot in the girls’ individual category. Hataoka has gone on to achieve fame and fortune on the LPGA Tour.
