The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is returning to Australia.

The tournament's hosts announced today that Royal Melbourne will host the 2020 edition from 29 October to 1 November.

It is the second time Royal Melbourne has hosted the event, the most important and prestigious amateur event in the region.

The jewel in Melbourne's Sandbelt, currently preparing for the Presidents Cup in December, first hosted the AAC in 2014 when South Australia's Antonio Murdaca was triumphant.

“We are thrilled to host the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship once again and bring this exceptional event back to the Royal Melbourne,” club captain Andrew Kirby said.

“Our courses are among the best in the world and we have been fortunate to host national and international events challenging many of the world’s top players.

“Hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship will be another tremendous opportunity to add to that tradition and promote the game of golf in our country and the Asia-Pacific region. We look forward to welcoming the region’s best amateurs to Australia in 2020.”

Golf Australia chairman Andrew Newbold was equally enthusiastic.

“Hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is a unique and important way that we as a country can support and grow the game of golf in this region,” Newbold said.

“Our mission is to advance and expand the game from grassroots participation to elite levels of competition. This event enables our amateurs to compete for the most highly coveted opportunities in the sport while inspiring the next generation of golfers.

“We are also delighted to be able to again showcase the magnificent Royal Melbourne Golf Club, one of many world-class courses in Victoria's globally revered Sandbelt.”

Championship organisers - the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and the R&A - made the announcement today from Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai during the first round of the 2019 event.

The champion receives an invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament and The Open, while the runner(s)-up gain a place in final qualifying for The Open.

“One of the goals of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was to show the world how golf is growing in our region,” said Kei Muratsu, chairman of the APGC.

“The success of this championship and the quality of the competitors in this field are shining examples of those goals coming to life. We are confident that next year’s return to Australia will mark another wonderful chapter in the legacy of the AAC.”

This week’s AAC features 120 players from 39 APGC countries and territories. Television coverage includes three hours of live broadcast on Fox Sports 505 on each of the four days and a 30-minute highlights show, and will be aired in more than 160 countries, again making it the world’s most televised amateur tournament.

The live broadcast is also available on www.AACgolf.com with links to live scores and other tournament information.