There is good news for the sport of golf here in American Samoa, as the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) recently granted APGC membership to the American Samoa Golf Association, which will allow Association members access to regional tournaments, which serve as qualifiers to the Olympics and also rank American Samoa’s players in the region.

According to the President of the American Samoa National Olympic Committee (ASNOC) J. Victor Langkilde, this past October 22 at the APGC Annual General Assembly in Melbourne, Australia, American Samoa Golf’s June 2014 membership request was one of the many items on its General Assembly agenda.

In a November 3, 2014 letter, APGC Chairman Dr. David Cherry notified the American Samoa Golf Association that the APGC has officially accepted American Samoa Golf’s membership request, and membership will take effect this coming January 1, 2015.

The letter from APGC Chairman Dr. David Cherry stated, “This letter hereby certifies that American Samoa Golf Association is affiliated as a member with APGC with effect from January 1, 2015.  American Samoa Golf Association is granted membership together with all the rights and responsibilities thereof.”

Speaking of the APGC membership, Langkilde said, “This request for APGC membership has been long sought by American Samoa over many years. In May of 2014, during the Oceania National Olympic Committee’s General Assembly in Guam, long-standing member of the American Samoa Golf Association, Pemerika Gillet met and discussed the requirements for APGC membership with other affiliated APGC members. Upon his return to American Samoa, Gillet initiated communication with APGC Secretary General Kyungjae Lee regarding the requirements for APGC membership from American Samoa,” he said.

With support from ASNOC and Langkilde, the APGC membership application was submitted this past June and on November 3, ASNOC received the letter officially announcing the American Samoa Golf Association as the newest member of the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation.