Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation
The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation is a regional federation of national golf associations that promotes golf and organizes leading amateur championships across Asia and Oceania.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, commonly known as the APGC, is the regional governing and development body for amateur golf associations across the Asia-Pacific region. It brings together more than 42 national golf federations and coordinates competitions, championships, and international matches intended to develop the sport and provide a pathway for elite amateur golfers. Unlike a commercial golf equipment or apparel brand, the APGC is an institutional sports organization whose public-facing identity is built around governance, championship delivery, regional representation, and the promotion of golf. The organization traces its origins to discussions held during the 1962 Eisenhower Trophy at Kawana in Japan. Representatives associated with the Philippines, Japan, and Chinese Taipei proposed a tri-nation competition, leading to the first Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship in the Philippines in 1963. A trophy donated by Shun Nomura became the Nomura Cup, and the Amateur Golf Confederation of Asia was established around the competition. The body subsequently developed into the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, expanding its membership and its program of regional amateur events. For much of its history, the APGC also had a direct role in professional golf through regional tours. In 1969 it assumed responsibility for the Asia Golf Circuit, a series of national opens conducted by member golf associations. The organization later launched the Asian Ladies Circuit in 1987 with a five-year sponsorship from Kosaido Development Corporation. The emergence of the Asian Tour, launched by the Asian Professional Golfers Association in 1995, created a competing professional structure. The APGC tours declined and the circuit ultimately folded in 1999, ending roughly three decades of direct involvement in professional-tour operations. The APGC's contemporary focus is primarily amateur golf. Its championships include the Nomura Cup, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship, the Queen Sirikit Cup, the Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship, and the Asia-Pacific Junior Championship. The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is organized in cooperation with the Masters Tournament and The R&A. Its winner receives an invitation to the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, while the leading players also gain a route to the Open Championship. The women's championship provides a comparable elite regional platform for women amateurs. The confederation's events rotate among host countries and territories, helping distribute competitive opportunities and visibility throughout the region. Past hosts identified in reference material include China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, and New Zealand. The APGC also organizes the Bonallack Trophy and Patsy Hankins Trophy in cooperation with the European Golf Association, giving leading Asia-Pacific amateurs international team-match opportunities against European players. The R&A began supporting the APGC in 2002 by offering financial assistance for the running of the Nomura Cup. That relationship reflects the APGC's position within the international amateur-golf ecosystem and its role in developing competitions that connect national federations with major global golf institutions. The organization remains active as a regional promoter and competition organizer, with its identity centered on amateur championships, youth and senior participation, women's golf, and cross-border cooperation among national associations.
History
The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation originated in a regional effort to create structured amateur competition among Asian golf associations. During the 1962 Eisenhower Trophy at Kawana, Japan, a proposed tri-nation tournament involving the Philippines, Japan, and Chinese Taipei provided the immediate impetus for a broader institutional arrangement. The inaugural Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship took place in the Philippines in 1963. Shun Nomura donated the trophy for the competition, which became known as the Nomura Cup, and the Amateur Golf Confederation of Asia was formed. The Nomura Cup became the central team championship around which the confederation developed. As additional national golf associations joined, the organization broadened its geographic reach and its responsibilities. Its work came to include the promotion of golf, coordination among member federations, and the staging of regional amateur championships. The organization is now known as the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, or APGC, and has more than 42 member federations across Asia-Pacific. The APGC's historical role was not limited to amateur competition. In 1969, it assumed responsibility for the Asia Golf Circuit, which consisted of national open tournaments run by the same national associations that made up the confederation. This gave the APGC a direct role in professional golf and helped connect individual national opens into a regional competitive circuit. In 1987, it expanded the tour portfolio by launching the Asian Ladies Circuit, supported by a five-year sponsorship from Kosaido Development Corporation. The professional-tour model later faced structural competition. The Asian Professional Golfers Association launched the Asian Tour in 1995, creating a rival platform for professional tournaments in the region. The APGC tours subsequently declined, and the circuit folded in 1999. This ended approximately 30 years of direct APGC involvement in professional-tour administration and marked a strategic shift back toward amateur golf and federation-led development. The confederation's amateur championship portfolio expanded significantly. The Queen Sirikit Cup, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship, dates from 1979 and was founded by the Thailand Ladies Golf Association. The Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship began in 1986, followed by the Asia-Pacific Junior Championship in 2009. The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship also began in 2009 through cooperation involving the APGC, the Masters Tournament, and The R&A. Its winner receives an invitation to the Masters Tournament, and the event provides a pathway to the Open Championship. The Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship was introduced in 2018 as an elite regional competition for women amateurs. The APGC also developed international team matches with the European Golf Association. The Bonallack Trophy and Patsy Hankins Trophy, both dating from 1998, provide men's and women's team-match formats that connect leading Asia-Pacific amateurs with European counterparts. The R&A began supporting the APGC in 2002 by offering financial assistance for the running of the Nomura Cup. This support reinforced the confederation's place within the wider international amateur-golf system. APGC championships rotate among countries and territories across the region, including China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, and New Zealand. In its current form, the organization is principally a regional amateur-golf federation and event organizer, with activities spanning elite competition, junior and senior golf, women's golf, national-association cooperation, and international sporting relationships.
- 2018
Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship begins
[1]A new elite regional championship for women amateur golfers was added to the APGC calendar.
- 2009
Asia-Pacific Junior and Amateur Championships begin
[1]The APGC launched the Asia-Pacific Junior Championship and the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
- 2002
The R&A begins supporting the Nomura Cup
[1]The R&A offered financial support for the running of the Nomura Cup.
- 1999
APGC professional circuit folds
[1]The APGC tour structure folded, ending the confederation's roughly 30-year direct involvement in professional-tour operations.
- 1998
Bonallack and Patsy Hankins Trophy matches begin
[1]The APGC began organizing these international matches in cooperation with the European Golf Association.
- 1995
Asian Tour creates a competing professional structure
[1]The Asian Professional Golfers Association launched the Asian Tour, competing with the APGC's professional-tour activities.
- 1987
Asian Ladies Circuit launches
[1]The APGC launched the Asian Ladies Circuit with a five-year sponsorship from Kosaido Development Corporation.
- 1986
Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship begins
[1]The APGC's regional championship program expanded to include senior amateur golfers.
- 1979
Queen Sirikit Cup begins
[1]The Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship, known as the Queen Sirikit Cup, was established by the Thailand Ladies Golf Association.
- 1969
APGC takes responsibility for the Asia Golf Circuit
[1]The confederation assumed responsibility for a regional circuit composed of national opens organized by member associations.
Products and positioning
A regional governing and development federation for amateur golf, positioned as the principal organizer of major Asia-Pacific amateur championships and as a bridge between national golf associations and international institutions such as The R&A, the Masters Tournament, and the European Golf Association.
Men's amateur team championship · 1963
Nomura Cup
The Nomura Cup is the Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship and the APGC's foundational event. It began with the first Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship in 1963 and is contested by national teams from the region. The trophy was donated by Shun Nomura. The R&A has provided financial support for the event since 2002.
Women's amateur team championship · 1979
Queen Sirikit Cup
The Queen Sirikit Cup is the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship. Founded by the Thailand Ladies Golf Association, it provides a national-team competition for leading women amateurs in the Asia-Pacific region.
Senior amateur championship · 1986
Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship
This regional championship extends the APGC's competition program to senior amateur golfers. It forms part of the confederation's broader effort to support participation and high-level competition across different age groups.
Junior amateur championship · 2009
Asia-Pacific Junior Championship
The Asia-Pacific Junior Championship is a regional event for developing golfers. Its inclusion in the APGC program supports youth competition and helps national federations create an international pathway for junior players.
Elite amateur championship · 2009
Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
Organized in cooperation with the Masters Tournament and The R&A, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is one of the region's leading individual amateur events. Its winner receives an invitation to the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, while the event also provides a route to the Open Championship.
Women's elite amateur championship · 2018
Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship
Introduced in 2018, the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship provides an elite regional platform for women amateurs and complements the APGC's long-running team championship for women.
International amateur team match · 1998
Bonallack Trophy
The Bonallack Trophy is an international amateur team match organized by the APGC in cooperation with the European Golf Association. It creates a competitive representative format between leading golfers from the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.
Women's international amateur team match · 1998
Patsy Hankins Trophy
The Patsy Hankins Trophy is the women's counterpart to the Bonallack Trophy and is organized through cooperation between the APGC and the European Golf Association.
Marketing campaigns
- 1987Asian Ladies Circuit launch
Asia-Pacific
The APGC launched the Asian Ladies Circuit with a five-year sponsorship from Kosaido Development Corporation, expanding its tour activity into women's professional golf.
Outcome. The circuit formed part of the APGC's professional-tour portfolio before the confederation's tours later declined and folded in 1999.
Brand decisions
2002
Support arrangement with The R&AOtherBackground
The Nomura Cup was the APGC's established regional team championship and required sustained event support.
Action taken
The R&A offered financial support for running the Nomura Cup.
Aftermath
The relationship strengthened the Nomura Cup's institutional position within international amateur golf.
1999
End of APGC professional-tour operationsStrategyBackground
The Asian Professional Golfers Association's Asian Tour, launched in 1995, created a competing professional-tour structure in the region.
Action taken
The APGC's tour folded, ending its direct involvement in professional golf and regional professional-tour operations.
Aftermath
The APGC's activities became primarily focused on amateur championships, federation cooperation, and golf development.
1969
Assumption of Asia Golf Circuit responsibilityStrategyBackground
The APGC's member associations were already operating national opens that could be connected into a regional circuit.
Action taken
The confederation assumed responsibility for running the Asia Golf Circuit.
Aftermath
This began the APGC's direct involvement in regional professional-tour administration, which lasted until the circuit folded in 1999.
Sources10 sources
- 1Asia-Pacific Golf Confederationen.wikipedia.org
- 2Asia-Pacific Amateur Championshipapgc.online
- 3Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championshipapgc.online
- 4The R&A Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championshipranda.org
- 5Nomura Cup resultsapgc.online
- 6Queen Sirikit Cup resultsapgc.online
- 7Asia-Pacific Diamond Cupapgc.online
- 8Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championshipapgc.online
- 9Asia-Pacific Junior Championshipapgc.online
- 10AAC Golfaacgolf.com
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