HISTORY

HISTORY

WAGC was founded in 1995 by Sven “Tumba” (a Swedish athlete/sports figure) to provide amateur golfers from around the world the opportunity to compete at a national level and have a chance to represent their country in the world amateur championship.

Signature 1

Purpose and Growth

1995

– Established the World Amateur Golfers Championship
– Founder: Sven “Tumba” Johansson from Sweden
– Main concept: Create a “World Championship” for amateur golfers of all skill levels, competing fairly according to handicap

1996–1999

– Participation primarily from European countries
– Established the foundation for the Handicap Flights system
– Began hosting the World Final annually

2000–2005

– WAGC expanded to America, Asia, and Africa
– Recognized as one of the amateur events with the highest number of participants worldwide
– Legendary golf figures like Arnold Palmer became Patrons, supporting the global image

2006–2010

– Competition structure became clearer
Local Qualifying
National Final
World Final
– Number of participating countries increased to over 30
– World Final began to be held at premium golf resorts across multiple continents

2011–2015

– Competition standards adjusted to more closely resemble professional tournaments
– Most World Finals played 72 holes
– Southeast Asian countries (including Thailand) played prominent roles, both as organizers and in athlete performance

2016–2019

– More than 40 countries participating
– WAGC became a global amateur event focusing on the “national team experience”
– Adopted international handicap systems (USGA / EGA and later WHS)

2020–2021

– Impacted by COVID-19
– Some countries canceled or postponed competitions
– Some World Finals were modified or rescheduled

2022–Present

– Competitions returned to normal format
– Officially using the World Handicap System (WHS)
– Continues to host World Final annually, maintaining the concept of “Largest Amateur Golf Championship in the World”

List of World Final Venues by Year

Here is the list of World Final venues for the World Amateur Golfers Championship (WAGC) by year (city/country), from the first year to the present, based on available information:

YEAR Location (City, Country)
1995–1997 PGA National, Florida, USA 🇺🇸 (initial period) WAGC Golfers
1998 Doral, Miami, Florida, USA 🇺🇸 WAGC Golfers
1999 Palm Springs, California, USA 🇺🇸 WAGC Golfers
2000 Disney World, Florida, USA 🇺🇸 WAGC Golfers
2006 Wild Coast Sun, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 🇿🇦 WAGC Golfers
2008 Orlando, Florida, USA 🇺🇸 WAGC Golfers
2009 Marbella, Spain 🇪🇸 WAGC Golfers
2010 Hua Hin, Thailand 🇹🇭 WAGC Golfers
2015 Belek (Antalya), Turkey 🇹🇷 WAGC Golfers
2016 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 🇿🇦 WAGC Golfers
2017 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 🇲🇾 WAGC Golfers
2018 Johor, Malaysia 🇲🇾 WAGC Golfers
2019 Sabah, Malaysia 🇲🇾 WAGC Golfers
2022 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 🇲🇾 WAGC Golfers
2023 Phuket, Thailand 🇹🇭 WAGC Golfers
2024 Phuket, Thailand 🇹🇭 World Amateur Golfers Championship
2025 Jeju Island, South Korea 🇰🇷 World A