We Caught up with Taimur Hassan Amin the Chairman of the APGC, to discuss the importance of the UAE in the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation region, highlighting the Bonallack Trophy and the Patsy Hankins Trophy to be held at Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah, Wednesday 8th ñ Friday 10th January, 2025.
WWG: Tell us about the APGC’s tournaments to be held in the UAE at Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah, in January, 2025 – the 12th Bonallack Trophy and the 4th Patsy Hankins Trophy?
Taimur Hassan Amin: The Bonallack Trophy is an amateur competition based on the model of The Ryder Cup which involves, every two years, a team representing Europe against a team representing Asia-Pacific. The venue alternates between courses in Europe and Asia-Pacific.
The first competition took place in 1998 in Perth, Australia. To promote women’s golf and the fact that our region was producing the best female players on the world stage, the Patsy Hankins Trophy was added and introduced in 2016.
Sir Michael Bonallack OBE, was an outstanding amateur, in an era where professional golf dominated the landscape. He won the Amateur Championship and English Amateur five times each and the Brabazon Trophy four times. He was a member of nine Walker Cup teams and played in the Eisenhower Trophy seven times. His best finish at The Open Championship was 11th in 1959. He was leading amateur at The Open in 1968 and 1971, winning the Amateur Silver Medal.
- Overall, Europe leads the Bonallack Trophy series by seven wins to four.
The event has traditionally enjoyed strong fields with past participants including future Major winners Justin Rose (1998), Francesco Molinari (2004), Rory McIlroy (2006) and Shane Lowry (2008), plus Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm, who all played in 2012.
The Patsy Hankins Trophy is a women’s amateur match play competition based on the model of the Solheim Cup, corresponding to the men’s Bonallack Trophy. The Trophy is named after Patsy Hankins (1945–2015), one of the most respected golf administrators New Zealand has produced. The first competition took place in 2016 at Vidago Palace Golf Course, Portugal.
- Asia-Pacific leads by two matches to one in the series so far.
WWG: How are the Teams Selected?
Taimur Hassan Amin: The World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) for both Men and Ladies are used as the main reference for the selection process. We also take into account the results from the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) and Nomura Cup for the men and the Queen Sirikit Cup and the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) for the ladies. In addition, a small number of players can be selected by the captain (known as ‘Captain’s picks’). According to the match conditions, no more than two players in each category may be selected from the same country.
WWG: What is the format?
Taimur Hassan Amin: The Bonallack Trophy and the Patty Hankins Trophy follow the same format as the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup and involve various match play formats between players selected from two teams of 12 players.
The events take place over three days, with a total of 32 matches being played, all matches being contested over 18 holes. The first two days comprise five foursomes matches and five four-ball matches. On the final day, there are 12 singles matches, when all 12 players compete.
WWG: Tell us about some of the players have competed in both Trophies, perhaps with UAE relevance?
Taimur Hassan Amin: Well said and a nice locally relevant question – those of note with UAE connections to have played in the Bonallack Trophy for Team Europe include:
Nico Colsaerts (2000).
Julien Guerrier (2006).
Thomas Detry (2012).
Dominic Foos (2014).
Those to have represented Asia-Pacific include:
Shiv Kapur (2002 & 2004).
Rayhan Thomas (2018).
How important is the UAE to the APGC?
Taimur Hassan Amin: The APGC has a close bond with the UAE, particularly since General Abdullah Alhashmi, the Vice-Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), joined the APGC as a Board member in November, 2022.
In professional golf, the UAE hosts so many important tournaments on both the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour as well as, more recently, the Clutch Tour.
It is a hotbed for professional golf, showcased by the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai which culminates their season with the $10 million DP World Tour Championship, held annually at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth course, Dubai, since 2009.
It is rewarding to see the EGF now investing in the amateur game at grass-roots, intermediate and elite levels, with its stakeholders, aligned with golf in the GCC, the Arab Golf Federation, and with the vision to introduce the UAE National youth into golf. We wish them well and are always here to offer them both advice and support.
WWG: Tell us about the nomination of the UAE and EGF to host the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC),
Taimur Hassan Amin: For almost two years during the Covid pandemic we had to cancel all our scheduled events due to travel and visa restrictions. It was the EGF that defied the odds and hosted the AAC in 2021 at the Dubai Creek & Yacht Golf Club. The AAC is the flagship tournament on our APGC calendar and we are especially grateful to The R&A and the Masters Tournament for their support and encouragement, not just with the AAC and the WAAP, but with everything they are doing within the APGC region. With the success of the AAC in 2021, the organisers were pleased to return to the UAE for the 2025 AAC Championship at the Majlis Course at the Emirates Golf Club in October.
WWG: We believe you have a long-standing relationship with the UAE in a playing capacity. Tell us more?
Taimur: You have done some deep dive research into this interview.
You are correct, I managed to win the 1992 Emirates Amateur Open over the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club.
WWG: Finally, what is your Mission for the APGC?
Taimur: Across our region, we have around four billion people with diverse languages, religions and cultures. We have around 4,000 golf courses and more than three million golfers. The APGC has now grown into a huge organisation with 47 member countries in the Asia-Pacific region. We now have Major champions in both the men’s and women’s game.
Teams for the Bonallack Trophy and Patty Hankins Trophy:
Bonallack Trophy: Team Europe (Non-playing Captain, Joachim Fourquet, France)
Jose Luis Ballester (Spain)
Dominic Clemons (Eng)
Charlie Forster (Eng)
Lev Grinberg (Ukr)
Filip Jacubčík (Czech Republic)
Algot Kleen (Swe)
Pablo Ereño Perez (Spain)
B. Reuter (Ned)
G. A. Sveinsson (Iceland)
R. Teder (Est)
P. Wernicke (Ger)
Tim Wiedemeyer (Ger)
Team Asia Pacific (Non-playing Captain Rishi Narain, India)
Joshua Bai (NZ)
Enrique Dimayuga (Phi)
Thanawin Lee (Thai)
Phichaksn Maichon (Thai)
Nguyen Anh Minh (Vietnam)
Taishi Moto (Jap)
Rintaro Nakano (Jap)
Jeffrey Wong Ngai Shen (HK)
Kartik Singh (Ind)
Zach Swanwick (NZ)
Hiroshi Tai (Sing)
Zhou Ziqin (China)
Patsy Hankins Trophy
Team Europe (Non-playing Captain, Myrte Eikenaar, The Netherlands)
Emma Bunch (Den)
Beth Coulter (Ire)
Aine Donegan (Ire)
Francesca Fiorellini (It)
Carolina Lopez-Chacarra (Spain)
Marie Eline Madsen (Den)
Carolina Melgrati (It)
Patience Rhodes (Eng)
Louise Rydqvist (Swe)
Nora Sundberg (Swe)
Rocio Tejedo (Spain)
Lottie Woad (Eng)
Team Asia Patsy Hankins Trophy (Non-playing Captain, Joanne McKee, Hong Kong)
Eila Galitsky (Thailand)
Sophie Han (Hong Kong China)
Cindy Hsu Huai-chien (Chinese Taipei)
Jeong Min-seo (Korea)
Arianna Lau (Hong Kong China)
Vivian Lu (New Zealand)
Aira Nagasawa (Japan)
Ren Yijia (China)
Mamika Shinichi (Japan)
Suvichaya Vinichaitham (Thailand)
Mirabel Ting (Malaysia)
Zhou Shiyuan (China)
