Taiheiyo Club Minori Course to host 2027 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship
Japan set to welcome region’s elite amateurs once more as global pathway and major exemptions raise stakes in Tokyo
The The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation have announced that the ninth Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship will be staged at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course in Tokyo from 22-25 April 2027.
It will mark the second time Japan has hosted the championship, which was developed to inspire future generations of women golfers and has evolved into the pre-eminent women’s amateur event in the Asia-Pacific region.
Each year, the champion earns exemptions into three women’s major championships – the AIG Women’s Open, the Chevron Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship – as well as elite amateur events including the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and The 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship.
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, said: “Japan has played a significant role in the success of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship and we are excited to be returning there in 2027. Women’s golf is strong in Japan and you just have to look at the success of major champions Yuka Saso, Ayaka Furue and, of course, our current AIG Women’s Open champion Miyu Yamashita to see the impact they have had on the world stage.
“We are extremely grateful to Taiheiyo Club for its tremendous support of amateur golf and look forward to the Minori Course providing an outstanding stage for the best women’s amateurs in the region at next year’s WAAP.”
Philip Hassall, Chairman of the APGC, added: “The profile of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific as the pre-eminent championship for elite women amateur golfers in our region will be further elevated in 2027 when we visit Taiheiyo Club’s acclaimed Minori Course.
“The combination of an outstanding venue, a world-class field, extensive global exposure and gracious Japanese hospitality will ensure another memorable chapter in the history of this fabulous championship.”
Located on the Kanto Plain, Taiheiyo Club Minori Course has hosted the LPGA Tour’s Toto Japan Classic on four occasions, most recently in 2023 when Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific alumna Mone Inami claimed victory, underlining its pedigree as a venue for elite international competition.
Shun Han, President of the Taiheiyo Club, said: “Next year, the ninth Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship will be held at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course. This will be the second time the championship has been held in Japan, and it is a great honour.
“I am delighted that through the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship we will be able to introduce Minori Course, one of Japan’s top tournament courses, to the world.
“I would like to thank the founding partners, The R&A’s Chief Executive Mark Darbon and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Chairman Philip Hassall, and the entire team for giving us this wonderful opportunity.”
When the championship was last played in Japan in 2019, Yuka Yasuda claimed a record eight-shot victory over Jeeno Thitikul at The Royal Golf Club, completing the greatest comeback by a champion after trailing by eight shots following the opening round.
Yasuda said: “I was able to win the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific held at The Royal Golf Club in 2019. I was incredibly happy to win on such a grand stage, and it remains a fond memory to this day.
“I’m glad I was able to win. There were some very bad weather days during the championship, but I persevered that day, which led to the incredible victory. Even now, as a professional, that experience has inspired me to fight to the end, no matter what.
“The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific will be held in Japan again next year in 2027. I hope that many Japanese players will perform well and liven up the championship.”
Alongside Saso and Furue, past competitors include major champions Patty Tavatanakit and Grace Kim, while Jeeno Thitikul remains the inaugural and youngest winner of the championship in 2018.
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific is proudly supported by Rolex, ISPS Handa, Royal Wellington Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Peter Millar, Titleist and Sparms.