The 2025 APAC will take place from 23/10 to 26/10 at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai (UAE). The 4-round tournament follows a stroke play format with a cut after the second round for the top 60 players or those tied for 60th place.

The tournament features 120 golfers, primarily selected through the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Each country or territory can have a maximum of 7 representatives, while the host country gets 10, with a handicap requirement of no more than 5.4.

Khanh Hung competing at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Australia.

As of last week's WAGR, Khanh Hung is ranked 276th, while Duc Son is 511th. These two under-19 golfers have achieved considerable success domestically and internationally over the past three years. Khanh Hung notably won the individual gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia in 2023, the first golf gold for Vietnam in the history of the Southeast Asian Games. Khanh Hung is currently studying abroad and plans to attend the University of Illinois next year.

At the 2024 APAC, Wenyi Ding of China won the championship with a score of -12 at the par-70 Taiheiyo Club Gotemba course in Japan. Duc Son missed the cut in his first appearance at the event. Khanh Hung debuted in 2023, finishing T24 at +13 at the par-71 Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. Jasper Stubbs won the tournament at +1, five strokes ahead of Vietnam's top amateur Nguyen Anh Minh, who finished T7, marking the best finish for a Vietnamese golfer at the APAC.

The APAC, established in 2009 by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation for amateur golfers in the region, is currently supported by the two organizations that own major championships: Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA (Masters) and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland (The Open). The APAC champion earns a spot in the Masters and The Open the following year. Both prestigious tournaments have had champions who previously competed in the APAC: Hideki Matsuyama (2021 Masters) and Cameron Smith (2022 The Open).

These are two of the most special events in professional golf each year. The Masters, established in 1934, is considered the most exclusive, while The Open, dating back to 1860, is the oldest major.

Quoc Huy