Amata Friendship Cup
The Amata Friendship Cup is a team golf tournament for male and female professional and amateur golfers contested by teams representing Thailand and Japan.[2] It is the first mixed-gender team event for professional and amateur golfers with a similar format to the Ryder Cup (male event; the USA versus Europe) and Solheim Cup (female event; the USA versus Europe).[3] The teams consist of five male professionals, five female professionals, one male amateur, and one female amateur. It was first played in 2018 at the Amata Spring Country Club which hosted the Honda LPGA Thailand on the LPGA Tour in 2006.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | 2018: Chonburi, Thailand |
| Established | 2018 |
| Course(s) | 2018: Amata Spring Country Club |
| Par | 2018: 72 |
| Length | 2018: Male; 7,328 yards (6,701 m) Female; 6,469 yards (5,915 m) |
| Tour(s) | None; Friendly match |
| Format | Match play |
| Prize fund | US$1.2 million[1] |
| Month played | December |
| Current champion | |
 | |
 | |
The current holders are Thailand who won in 2018 at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand, by a score of 15 to 13.
Founding of the Cup
On 27 August 2018, it was announced by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amata Spring Country Club, Arsa Sarasin and Senior Executive Vice President Toyota Motor Thailand, Vudhigorn Suriyachantananont, in a press conference at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, that the inaugural Amata Friendship Cup Presented by Toyota would be held at Amata Spring Country Club, Chonburi, Thailand. The first edition was contested by the teams representing Thailand and Japan for celebrating the relationship between Thailand and Japan. It used the format of the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, but it also included amateur golfers in the tournament.[3][4][5][6]
Format
The cup is played over three days. Since 2018, there have been 28 matches: eight foursomes, eight four-balls and 12 singles on the final day. This is the same format as the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.
| Year | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Total Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Afternoon | Morning | Afternoon | |||
| 2018 | 4 foursomes | 4 fourballs | 4 foursomes | 4 fourballs | 12 singles | 28 |
Captains
Team captains are typically recently retired men and women professional golfers, chosen for their experience and for their ability to lead a team.
Results
| Year | Venue | Winning team | Score | Thailand captains | Japan captains | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Chonburi, Thailand | |
15–13 | Boonchu Ruangkit (male) Virada Nirapathpongporn (female) |
Naomichi Ozaki (male) Miho Koga (female) |
[2] |
Thai golfers
| Player | Gender | Editions |
|---|---|---|
| Kiradech Aphibarnrat | Male | 2018[7] |
| Thongchai Jaidee | Male | 2018[7] |
| Jazz Janewattananond | Male | 2018[8] |
| Ariya Jutanugarn | Female | 2018[7] |
| Moriya Jutanugarn | Female | 2018[7] |
| Sadom Kaewkanjana | Male | 2018 (A) |
| Prayad Marksaeng | Male | 2018 |
| Prom Meesawat | Male | 2018[8] |
| Pornanong Phatlum | Female | 2018 |
| Thidapa Suwannapura | Female | 2018[8] |
| Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras | Female | 2018 |
| Atthaya Thitikul | Female | 2018 (A) |
Japanese golfers
| Player | Gender | Editions |
|---|---|---|
| Mami Fukuda | Female | 2018 |
| Erika Hara | Female | 2018 |
| Nasa Hataoka | Female | 2018 |
| Kodai Ichihara | Male | 2018 |
| Yuto Katsuragawa | Male | 2018 (A) |
| Fumika Kawagishi | Female | 2018 |
| Masahiro Kawamura | Male | 2018 |
| Satoshi Kodaira | Male | 2018 |
| Sakura Koiwai | Female | 2018 |
| Hideto Tanihara | Male | 2018 |
| Ryuko Tokimatsu | Male | 2018 |
| Yuri Yoshida | Female | 2018 (A) |
See also
- Dynasty Cup, a men's professional team golf competition between teams representing Asia and Japan.
References
- "The Big Asian Shoot-Out!". Asia Pacific Golf Group.
- "Inaugural Amata Friendship Cup Presented by Toyota Announced for December 2018". Amata Friendship Cup. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- "Thailand and Japan to play Ryder Cup-style tournament in Chon Buri in December". Bangkok Post. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- "ระเบิดศึกกอล์ฟทีมผสม อมตะ เฟรนด์ชิพ โปรดังไทยปะทะโปรญี่ปุ่น 21-23 ธค.นี้". Siamsport (in Thai). 27 August 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- "尾崎直道＆古閑美保が"日本代表監督"に！ 小平・畑岡も参戦、男女混合日タイ対抗戦「アマタフレンドシップカップ」ってなんだ!?". golfdigest-minna.jp (in Japanese). 27 August 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- "日本vsタイ親善対抗戦「アマタフレンドシップカップ」日本選抜メンバー12名が確定". news.nifty.com (in Japanese). 27 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- "Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Ariya Jutanugarn, Thongchai Jaidee to Headline Team Japan". Amata Friendship Cup. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- "Team Thailand and Team Japan Add Strength, Experience and Depth". Amata Friendship Cup. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.