Amateur Golf
The International Golf Federation (IGF), the body that runs the Olympic Men’s and Women’s competitions and the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC) has announced that the 2023 WATC will be held at the Greg Norman-designed Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.
This will be the first time that the event, which dates back to 1958, will be played in the Middle East.
The decision was made through voting during a biennial IGF meeting held virtually. The Emirates Golf Federation was selected over the Singapore Golf Association.
The 2023 edition will be the first one to be held in an odd year, to avoid conflict with the 2024 Summer Olympics, with a minimum of 36 teams to participate.
The 2022 edition of the WATC is scheduled in France at two courses near Paris. Le Golf National, host of the 2018 Ryder Cup Match, and Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche will host the men’s and women’s championships, respectively.
First held in 1958, the World Amateur Team Championships includes up to 72 countries competing in 72 holes of stroke play competition. Each country fields two or three players with the two lowest scores counting per round.