Asian Amateur Championship to be seen by worldwide TV audience

An important milestone in the ongoing grow-the-game efforts of the Asian Amateur Championship took place Wednesday when event officials announced that more than 150 countries will see television coverage of this groundbreaking amateur golf event organised by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation and supported by the Masters Tournament and The R&A.

Programming will include two hours of event coverage of the third and final rounds with Peter Oosterhuis as lead commentator. In addition, 30-minute highlight shows will follow the first, second and final rounds. The broadcasts will be aired on ESPN Star (Asia), Guangdong Golf Channel (China), Tokyo Broadcasting System (Japan), ESPN International (Latin America, Northern Africa and the Middle East), SuperSport (Southern Africa), Network Ten (Australia), Sky New Zealand, CNBC Europe and ESPN2 (United States).

“Global television exposure speaks directly to our vision of creating role models for other aspiring golfers to follow,” said Kwangsoo Hur, President of the APGC, the event’s governing body. “By bringing these television partners together, the Asian Amateur Championship will now display many of golf’s positive virtues and life lessons for the whole world to see.”

More information on broadcast times for all Asian Amateur Championship programming can be found by checking local listings or www.asianamateurchampionship.com.

The Asian Amateur Championship will take place at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, 29 October – 1 November 2009. An invitation to play in the 2010 Masters Tournament awaits the winner, while both the winner and the runner(s)-up will gain a place in International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship being played next year at St Andrews.

The 120-player field will be comprised of the top male amateur golfers in the region representing the 34 APGC member associations. Play will consist of 72 holes of stroke play on Mission Hills Golf Club’s World Cup Course with a cut coming after 36 holes.

Last month, IBM, KFC, Rolex and Zurich Financial Services, Inc. were named the event’s sponsors, adding to the support already being provided by the Masters Tournament and The R&A.