Harrison Crowe became the third Australian to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) with a one-stroke victory over China’s Bo Jin in the 13th edition at Amata Spring Country Club.
In a dramatic finish, Crowe sank a four-foot par-saver at the last hole after almost sending his approach into the hazard to the left of the green. Earlier, Jin had hit his tee shot into the water at Amata Spring’s par-three 17th with its famed island green, making double bogey to trail Crowe by one shot.
Crowe’s closing 72 gave him a total score of 13-under-par 275 (69-67-67-72), while Jin signed off with a 71 to finish a stroke adrift on 12-under-par 276 (65-69-71-71). Sharing third place on nine-under-par were another Australian, Jeff Guan, and Ryuta Suzuki of Japan.
The previous Australian winners of the championship were Antonio Murdaca (2014) and Curtis Luck (2016).
The AAC was created in 2009 as a joint initiative to develop the game by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A. The champion receives an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament and The Open, while the runner(s)-up gain a place in The Open Qualifying Series.
Anson Yeo of Malaysia. Photo: AAC
Teen talent Anson Yeo meanwhile earned bragging rights as best Malaysian in joint 29th position, finishing off his maiden AAC appearance with a round of 72 for an aggregate of two-under-par 286 (71-71-72-72).
“I had two three-putts today and missed one short birdie putt of about three feet at Hole 11. But overall I’m quite happy with how I played this week. I just have to practice more to get better results,” said the 16-year-old.
“It was a great experience playing with all the best golfers from the region, and I definitely learnt a lot this week. Getting into next year’s AAC at Royal Melbourne is definitely one of my targets,” added Yeo, whose performance underlined the benefits of having attended the AAC Academy clinic at Amata Spring in early September.
The 2023 AAC will be played at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia next October 26-29, which will mark the championship’s second visit to the storied venue following the 2014 edition.
San Jose State University sophomore Zubair Firdaus closed his campaign with a 72 to be the next best-placed Malaysian in T32 position on one-under-par 287 (71-73-71-72).
“I had a bit of a tough start, missed a couple of five, six-footers at the start for birdie. Actually, I had a lot of chances today but I couldn’t quite convert the putts,” said Zubair.
“Overall it was a good tournament and a great experience. I would love to play at the AAC again and one of my goals for 2023 would definitely be to qualify and play at Royal Melbourne. I used to go to high school in Australia, so I’m very familiar with Australian golf,” added the 20-year-old.
The third Malaysian to make the halfway cut, 18-year-old Isaac To, had a rather nervy weekend and settled for joint 49th place on 10-over-par 298 (72-69-81-76).
“I made a lot of mental errors today, using the wrong club, missing in the wrong spots. But I’m very honoured to have had this opportunity to play in the AAC; I’ve definitely taken a lot from the experience and hopefully I can play again next year at Royal Melbourne,” said To, a freshman at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Yeo, Zubair and To were all making their debuts in the championship and formed part of a record seven-strong Malaysian contingent. Fellow debutante Hariz Hezri, Marcus Lim and Nateeshvar Ganesh had failed to make the halfway cut, while Khavish Varadan was forced to withdraw when he aggravated a chronic neck injury during the second round.
Khavish, Lim and Nateeshvar were making their second successive appearances in the AAC, having played in the 12th edition at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club last year. Khavish was the only one who made the cut then, finishing T18 on five-under-par.
Malaysia’s best result in the AAC is seventh, achieved by Mohd Iszaimi Ismail during the inaugural event in 2009 at Mission Hills Golf Club in China and matched by Ervin Chang in 2018 at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore.
While no Malaysian has played in the Masters Tournament, three have competed in The Open – Iain Steel (1996), Danny Chia (2005, 2008, 2010) and Gavin Green (2018).
For more information about the AAC, please visit AACgolf.com.
