Amata Friendship Cup
Year2018
VenueAmata Spring Country Club
LocationChonburi, Thailand
Dates21–23 December 2018
HomeThailand
AwayJapan
HomecaptainBoonchu Ruangkit
Virada Nirapathpongporn
AwaycaptainNaomichi Ozaki
Miho Koga
Homescore15
Awayscore13
ResultThailand wins

The 2018 Amata Friendship Cup (Thai: อมตะ เฟรนด์ชิพ คัพ 2018; Japanese: 2018年アマタフレンドシップカップ) was the first edition of the Amata Friendship Cup matches, held 21–23 December at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand. The Amata Friendship Cup is a team competition between the top mixed-gender professional and amateur golfers from Thailand and Japan. It is a three-day match play event between teams of twelve players with a similar format to the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup. Boonchu Ruangkit and Virada Nirapathpongporn captained the Thai team and Naomichi Ozaki and Miho Koga captained the Japanese team.

Team Thailand won by a score of 15–13.

Format

The Amata Friendship Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The format is as follows:[1]

  • Day 1 (Friday): Four foursome (alternate shot) matches in a morning session and four fourball (better ball) matches in an afternoon session.
  • Day 2 (Saturday): Four foursome (alternate shot) matches in a morning session and four fourball (better ball) matches in an afternoon session.
  • Day 3 (Sunday): 12 singles matches. All 12 players from each team participate.

Teams

Each team consisted of five male professionals, five female professionals, one male and one female amateur.[1]

Team Thailand

Team Thailand[2]
Male professionals
PlayerAgeWorld
ranking
Kiradech Aphibarnrat2938
Jazz Janewattananond23125
Prayad Marksaeng52299
Thongchai Jaidee49438
Prom Meesawat34493
Female professionals
PlayerAgeRolex
ranking
Ariya Jutanugarn231
Moriya Jutanugarn2420
Pornanong Phatlum2950
Thidapa Suwannapura2694
Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras20160
Male amateur
PlayerAgeWAGR
ranking
Sadom Kaewkanjana2013
Female amateur
PlayerAgeWAGR
ranking
Atthaya Thitikul158

Team Japan

Team Japan[3]
Male professionals
PlayerAgeWorld
ranking
Satoshi Kodaira2947
Ryuko Tokimatsu25113
Kodai Ichihara36171
Hideto Tanihara40172
Masahiro Kawamura25215
Female professionals
PlayerAgeRolex
ranking
Nasa Hataoka197
Fumika Kawagishi24142
Sakura Koiwai2059
Mami Fukuda26118
Erika Hara19132
Male amateur
PlayerAgeWAGR
ranking
Yuto Katsuragawa20454
Female amateur
PlayerAgeWAGR
ranking
Yuri Yoshida1867

Day one

Friday, 21 December 2018

Morning foursomes

The opening round of four fourball matches started at 7:15 am local time. The first point of the 2018 Amata Friendship Cup was won by Team Japan, with Ryuko Tokimatsu and Erika Hara winning 6 & 5 against Prayad Marksaeng and Moriya Jutanugarn.[4] Prom Meesawat and Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras came from two down after the fourth and fifth hole to beat Masahiro Kawamura and Mami Fukuda two up.[4] Jaidee and Thidapa Suwannapura also won by one against Kodai Ichihara and Sakura Koiwai one up.[4] In the last match, Aphibarnrat and Thitikul won the seventeenth hole to halve Satoshi Kodaira and Yuri Yoshida, and to end the first morning 2–1 in favour of Team Thailand.[4]

Results[5]
Marksaeng/M.Jutanugarn6 & 5Tokimatsu/Hara
Meesawat/Thanapolboonyaras2 upKawamura/Fukuda
Jaidee/Suwannapura1 upIchihara/Koiwai
Aphibarnrat/ThitikulhalvedKodaira/Yoshida
2Session1
2Overall1

Afternoon four-ball

The afternoon session was won by team Thailand. It started at 12:00 pm local time. Jazz Janewattananond and Pornanong Phatlum won 3 & 2 over Hideto Tanihara and Nasa Hataoka, Prayad Marksaeng and Ariya Jutanugarn won the last hole to halve Kodai Ichihara and Fumika Kawagishi, Ryuko Tokimatsu and Erika Hara won for the second time, this time 4 & 3 over Prom Meesawat/Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras. The fourt pairing, Sadom Kaewkanjana and Moriya Jutanugarn won over Yuto Katsuragawa and Sakura Koiwai one up.

Results[5]
Janewattananond/Phatlum3 & 2Tanihara/Hataoka
Marksaeng/A.JutanugarnhalvedIchihara/Kawagishi
Meesawat/Thanapolboonyaras4 & 3Tokimatsu/Hara
Kaewkanjana/M.Jutanugarn1 upKatsuragawa/Koiwai
2Session1
5Overall3

Day two

Saturday, 22 December 2018

Morning foursomes

Results[5]
Jaidee/Suwannapura3 & 2Kawamura/Hara
Meesawat/Thanapolboonyaras1 upTokimatsu/Hataoka
Janewattananond/A.Jutanugarn7 & 5Kodaira/Koiwai
Kaewkanjana/Phatlum6 & 5Katsuragawa/Fukuda
3Session1
8Overall4

Afternoon four-ball

Results[5]
Janewattananond/M.Jutanugarn2 & 1Kawamura/Kawagishi
Jaidee/Phatlum1 upIchihara/Fukuda
Aphibarnrat/A.Jutanugarn2 & 1Kodaira/Hataoka
Marksaeng/Thitikul5 & 3Tanihara/Yoshida
2Session2
10Overall6

Day three

Sunday, 23 December 2018

Singles

Results[5]
Sadom Kaewkanjana1 upYuto Katsuragawa
Atthaya Thitikul1 upYuri Yoshida
Jazz Janewattananond1 upKodai Ichihara
Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras1 upErika Hara
Prom MeesawathalvedRyuko Tokimatsu
Thidapa Suwannapura2 upSakura Koiwai
Thongchai Jaidee3 & 2Masahiro Kawamura
Pornanong Phatlum5 & 3Fumika Kawagishi
Prayad MarksaenghalvedHideto Tanihara
Moriya Jutanugarn1 upMami Fukuda
Kiradech Aphibarnrat1 upSatoshi Kodaira
Ariya Jutanugarn3 & 1Nasa Hataoka
5Session7
15Overall13

Individual player records

Each entry refers to the win–loss–half record of the player.

Thailand

PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomesFourballs
Jazz Janewattananond44–0–01–0–01–0–02–0–0
Kiradech Aphibarnrat2.52–0–11–0–00–0–11–0–0
Ariya Jutanugarn2.52–1–10–1–01–0–01–0–1
Prom Meesawat2.52–1–10–0–12–0–00–1–0
Moriya Jutanugarn22–2–00–1–00–1–02–0–0
Sadom Kaewkanjana22–1–00–1–01–0–01–0–0
Pornanong Phatlum22–2–00–1–01–0–01–1–0
Thidapa Suwannapura22–1–01–0–01–1–00–0–0
Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras22–2–00–1–02–0–00–1–0
Atthaya Thitikul1.51–1–11–0–00–0–10–1–0
Thongchai Jaidee11–3–00–1–01–1–00–1–0
Prayad Marksaeng10–2–20–0–10–1–00–1–1

Japan

PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomesFourballs
Erika Hara44–0–01–0–02–0–01–0–0
Ryuko Tokimatsu2.52–1–10–0–11–1–01–0–0
Mami Fukuda22–2–01–0–00–2–01–0–0
Masahiro Kawamura22–2–01–0–01–1–00–1–0
Kodai Ichihara1.51–2–10–1–00–1–01–0–1
Fumika Kawagishi1.51–1–11–0–00–0–00–1–1
Hideto Tanihara1.51–1–10–0–10–0–01–1–0
Yuri Yoshida1.51–1–10–1–00–0–11–0–0
Nasa Hataoka11–3–01–0–00–1–00–2–0
Yuto Katsuragawa11–2–01–0–00–1–00–1–0
Satoshi Kodaira0.50–3–10–1–00–1–10–1–0
Sakura Koiwai00–4–00–1–00–2–00–1–0

Partners

2018 Amata Friendship Cup partners[6]
TierSponsoring firms
PresentingToyota
PlatinumSingha Corporation, Siam Commercial Bank
GoldSiam Cement Group, Tourism Authority of Thailand (under the slogan Amazing Thailand), International Sports Promotion Society
SilverPPTV HD 36, Fenix XCell, Ricoh

References

  1. ^ "Event Schedule". Amata Friendship Cup. 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Team Thailand". Amata Friendship Cup. 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Team Japan". Amata Friendship Cup. 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Thai No 1 shocked at stayaway fans". The Nation. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Result Round one to five". Amata Friendship Cup. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Partners". Amata Friendship Cup. 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.