Players from the Land of the Rising Sun shone in Round 2 of the 4th Selangor International Junior Golf Championship, as Japanese teams ended the day on top of both the boys’ and girls’ team standings heading into the third and final round.
Powered by a superb six-under-par 66 from Sakutoshi Yamazaki at Seri Selangor Golf Club, the Japanese boys’ team of Yamazaki (74, 66), Taisei Nagasaki (73, 76), Miller Sato (76, 74) and Yutaka Saito (82, 74) surged to the top of the leaderboard. They recorded a second day combined score of two-under-par 214, based on the best three out of four daily scores, for a 36-hole total of five-over-par 437 (223, 214).
Trailing by three shots in second place on eight-over-par 440 is first day leaders the Philippines, comprising Shinichi Suzuki, Miko Granada, Tristan Padilla and Santino Pineda. The Thai team of Thanattasorn Supinraj, Kobsak Phisibuntoon, Pongpanot Jeenakul, Sarunyapong Hongamata are joint third in 12-over-par 444 with UUM International School Melaka (UUMISM) Team A, made up of Kang Geon, Kevin Sun Woo Sung, Muhammad Danial Nazari and Anis Dylan Sinno.
In the girls’ team event, the Japanese quartet of Yuka Nishina (73, 69), Mana Yoshizaki (70, 77), Tsukiha Nakashima (74, 75) and Rui Hatada (74, 77) pulled away with a second day team score of 221 for a two-day aggregate of six-over-par 438. They are seven shots clear of the Thai team of Sarisa Pojanalai, Chutimon Rujiranan, Satonkan Thiengsri and Krittiya Thanintomdamrongdej who are on 13-over-par 445. Team Singapore (Chen Xingtong, Amelie Ng, Chloe Ng and Anjanette Tanare) is a distant third on 31-over-par 463.
Korean Jung Ji Won maintained his impressive form to keep his lead in the boys’ individual standings, adding a second round 69 to his opening 67 for an eight-under-par 136 total. The 16-year-old is four shots ahead of Yamazaki (74, 66), with Suzuki (70, 71) of the Philippines in third place shot further back. The leading Malaysian is Anson Yeo in tied fourth place on even-par 144 (71, 73). Daichi Hayashi of the PKNS Golf Academy team signed in a solid two-under-par 70 to also lie on even-par 144 (74, 70).
The boys’ individual champion will earn a coveted spot in next week’s PKNS Selangor Masters, which is the season-opener for both the 2025 Asian Development Tour and domestic Professional Golf of Malaysia Tour, to be played at Seri Selangor. For the first time, the leading Malaysian boy will also earn a start in the professional event.
Yuka Nishina of Japan
Vietnam’s Le Chuc An continued to top the individual girls’ standings despite a second round 73. Her four-under-par 140 (67, 73) total places her two shots ahead of Japan’s Nishina (73, 69) and Thailand’s Sarisa Pojanalai (72, 70).
There was a 36-hole cut to the top ten teams (and ties) in both the girls’ and boys’ categories, with the ten leading players in the individual events also making it through regardless of how their teams performed.
This year’s championship boasts a record 127 participants from 14 countries/territories, who will compete over 54 holes in the World Amateur Golf Ranking event. The field includes players from Australia, Bangladesh, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and, for the first time, Hong Kong (China) and Japan.
Organised by UUMISM in collaboration with the MGA, the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship is sponsored by the Selangor State Government with PKNS Golf Management Services acting as event promoter. The championship is a full-hospitality event, and participants are provided with accommodation, transfers and meals.
