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Pakistan’s three-member golf team is set to compete in the 17th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) in New Zealand. The tournament will take place at Te Arai Links’ South Course from October 29 to November 1, 2026.
The championship offers a major opportunity for amateur golfers across the region. The winner will receive invitations to the 2027 Masters Tournament and The Open at St Andrews.
Pakistan’s squad features Saad Habib Malik, Numan Ilyas and Hussain Hamid. All three players bring tournament experience and competitive results to the international event.
Saad Habib Malik of Islamabad is Pakistan’s highest-ranked entrant. He stands 252nd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), with a career-best position of 232nd.
The 20-year-old has recorded nine WAGR wins and 19 top-10 finishes. He is also a freshman at the University of Texas at San Antonio and will join the squad from the United States.
Malik has won the Pakistan Junior Amateur Championship four consecutive times. He also claimed the 64th Pakistan Amateur title in September 2025 after a strong final-round comeback.
His other achievements include runner-up finishes at the 2025 Dallas Amateur and Sri Lanka Amateur. The upcoming championship will mark his second AAC appearance.
Lahore’s Numan Ilyas enters the championship ranked 380th in the WAGR. His career-best ranking is 300th, and he has recorded four WAGR wins and 21 top-10 finishes.
Ilyas won the 2026 Punjab Amateur Championship. He also secured three WAGR event victories in 2025.
The competition in New Zealand will mark his third appearance at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. His recent results provide valuable experience as he prepares to face a strong international field.
Hussain Hamid, also from Lahore, is ranked 527th in the WAGR. His career-best ranking is 314th, with three WAGR wins and 11 top-10 finishes.
Hamid won the 2025 Chairman WAPDA Amateur Championship. Earlier this year, he also recorded two top-10 finishes in WAGR events.
He previously represented Pakistan at the 2024 APGC Team Championship in Vietnam. The upcoming tournament will be his third AAC appearance.
The Pakistani players departed Lahore on October 25. They travelled through Dubai before reaching Auckland around midday on October 26.
The team completed practice rounds on October 27 and 28. The opening round is scheduled for October 29.
These sessions will give the players limited time to adjust to the course and local playing conditions before the competition begins.
Te Arai Links’ South Course is a par-72 links layout set among coastal sand dunes along the Pacific Ocean. The course is known for its firm, fast fescue turf and exposed seaside holes.
Wind management and accurate iron play will be crucial throughout the championship. Players must also adapt to changing conditions and the demands of links golf.
Such conditions may present an additional challenge for Pakistan’s golfers. Most of their domestic competition takes place on inland parkland courses, which differ from exposed coastal links layouts.
Around 120 players representing 40 APGC member organisations are expected to compete. Defending champion Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand will lead the field.
The tournament offers several important rewards for leading finishers. The champion earns invitations to the Masters and The Open at St Andrews. The runner-up or runners-up will enter The Open Qualifying Series, while the top three finishers receive exemptions into The Amateur Championship.
These opportunities make the AAC one of the region’s most significant events for amateur golfers seeking to progress to elite international competition.
Pakistan’s team faces the championship without an organised preparation camp. The squad is also currently without a national golf coach, according to the team information provided.
Several other Asian teams have reportedly arranged training and coaching camps before the event. Pakistan’s players, by contrast, have had to rely largely on individual preparation and tournament experience.
With only two practice rounds scheduled before the opening day, adapting quickly to the course will be important.
Despite these challenges, the trio arrives with encouraging competitive records. Malik leads the team in the world rankings, while Ilyas and Hamid bring recent victories and previous championship experience.
Pakistan will look to turn that experience into a strong performance as the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship gets underway in New Zealand.
