WA state captain Connor Fewkes will represent his nation for the first time next month after earning a call-up to Golf Australia’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship team.
Fewkes, the 23-year-old Goldfields Golf Club member, has been part of GolfWA’s High Performance program for several years and is recognised as one of the state’s most dependable performers. He is one of 10 golfers selected to represent Australia at the Asia-Pacific Am, which takes place at Royal Melbourne Golf Club from October 26-29.
The 72-hole stroke play tournament offers considerable benefits to its champion, who will earn exemptions into the following year’s Masters Tournament and Open Championship. These incentives are not lost on Fewkes, who is relishing the prospect of his Australian debut.
“It’s been an ambition of mine for the past year, and I knew I’d have to play a lot of good golf to be selected,” he told GolfWA. “I managed to do that and I’m very excited to make the team.
“The Masters and Open exemptions will always be in the back of your mind, but you’ve just got to be committed to playing good golf throughout that week and hope it’s enough to see you in contention on the back nine of the final round.”
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama (a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur), and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, Ryan Fox and Lucas Herbert are other leading players to have contested the event.
Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win more than 120 tournaments across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
Australia has had three past champions: WA’s Curtis Luck (2016), Antonio Murdaca (2014) and Harrison Crowe (2022).
Australia team for Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
Jeffrey Guan (NSW); Jack Buchanan (SA); Lukas Michel (Vic); Connor Fewkes (WA); Quinnton Croker (QLD); Max Charles (Vic); Harry Bolton (ACT); Jye Pickin (NSW); Jasper Stubbs (Vic); Harry Takis (QLD).
Fewkes in action for WA at the 2023 Interstate Teams Matches
Image credits: Australian Golf Media
