Augusta, R&A open door to Asian champions

Asian golf has long yearned for a moment like this, and China's top golfers could be beneficiaries.

At a time when the region's top amateurs have lit up leaderboards and superstars Hideki Matsuyama, Li Haotong and Im Sung-jae shinning at the highest level, Augusta National Golf Club and The Royal and Ancient dropped a seismic announcement that will reverberate for generations — winners of the Japan Open and Hong Kong Open will now receive invitations to the Masters Tournament and The Open.

For Asia's aspiring champions, the road to the majors has always been a steep climb, especially the Masters. However, the fairways that lead to Augusta National and Royal Birkdale next year will now become shorter. Starting immediately, winners of six leading international golf championships, including the Australian, Scottish, Spanish and South African Opens, will earn exemptions to compete on golf's two most iconic stages.

Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley and R&A CEO Mark Darbon framed the alignment of qualification criteria as part of a shared vision to expand opportunities for international players. "Today's announcement strengthens our organizations' collective vision of rewarding top talent around the world. We hope this formal recognition shines a bright light on these players," said Ridley.

The R&A has been ahead of the curve with its innovative Open Qualifying Series, launched in 2013 to provide pathways around the globe to the world's oldest major championship. From the end of this year, 15 tournaments in 13 countries and regions will offer access to Royal Birkdale for the 154th Open next July. Aligning with Augusta National adds greater emphasis to its global vision. "We firmly believe this will continue to enrich the quality of the fields at both major championships," said Darbon, who recently assumed the role of CEO at R&A.

If this new criterion had been created three years ago, Japan's last three national champions, Taiga Semikawa, Aguri Iwasaki and Shugo Imahira would have earned coveted starts at the Masters and The Open. Founded in 1927, the Japan Open is arguably one Asia's crown jewels, and it will no doubt carry a greater purpose when it is played in October.

The inclusion of the Hong Kong Open is equally inspired. Since 1959, the tournament has been a bumper fixture on the Asian sporting calendar, although Asian champions have been rare — Chinese Taipei's Lin Wen-tang in 2008 and South Korea's Kang Wook-soon in 1998 were the last two Asian winners.

The fabled fairways at Fanling, which have been graced by the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tom Watson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer, will now become even more attractive as one of the new gateways to the game's grandest stages. Fans can expect an extra spark of ambition when the region's best golfers, including Chinese mainland's Bobby Bai Zhengkai and Sampson Zheng and hometown hope Taichi Kho gather in Hong Kong this November.

"We take great pride in the range of qualification routes we offer to players around the world. We share the same goal as Augusta National to offer places in both The Open and the Masters and, by doing so, help to showcase and strengthen our sport in those regions," said Darbon.

For Asia, the timing of this announcement couldn't be better. Japanese star Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, and South Korea's Im continue to represent the region proudly on the PGA Tour, where they were the only two Asians to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship, limited to the top-30, in Atlanta the previous week.

Young Asian talent is also knocking loudly on the door. Vietnam's rising star Nguyen Anh Minh became the first player from his country to reach the US Junior Amateur Final this summer, Chinese prospect Paul Chang reached the round of 16 at the US Amateur, while Japan's Rintaro Nakano impressed in the round of 32 — performances that bode well for the future.

Additionally, the annual Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, which will be played at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai in October, will continue to provide another opportunity for aspiring Asians to stand up and be counted, as the winner will also earn invitations to both the Masters and The Open next year.

The writer previously led the marketing and communications team on the PGA Tour and Asian Tour.