Malaysia’s top amateur Khavish Varman Varadan ensured the Jalur Gemilang continues flying in the second half of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, firing a second round 72 at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club yesterday to comfortably make the halfway cut.
The 21-year-old lies in T28 place on one-under-par (69, 72), seven shots behind leader Bo Jin of China. The three other Malaysians in the field unfortunately failed to make the cut, which came at two-over-par. Marcus Lim (74, 75) and 15-year-old Rizq Adam Rohizam (72, 77) both finished two rounds with +7 totals, while 16-year-old Nateeshvar Anatha Ganesh was on 15-over-par (79, 78).
The best Malaysian finish in the championship is seventh, recorded by Mohd Iszaimi Ismail in the inaugural event in 2009 at Mission Hills Golf Club in China, and matched by Ervin Chang at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club in 2018.
China’s Jin fired a superb bogey-free 64 to take pole position on eight-under-par 134, one stroke ahead of five players including the top player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Japan’s Keita Nakajima who shot 68. The others in joint second spot at the halfway stage are Australian Connor McKinney (65) and the Korean trio of Sam Choi (68), Baekjun Kim (66) and Wooyoung Cho (68).
Defending champion Yuxin Lin of China made a double bogey on the par-4 closing hole and dropped down to four-under-par 138, four strokes off the pace.
The 19-year-old Jin, who hails from Beijing, is the younger brother of Cheng Jin, winner of the 2015 AAC at Clearwater Bay in Hong Kong. A sophomore at Oklahoma State University, Jin is also a close friend of Rayhan Thomas, the 2018 AAC runner-up who holds the Dubai Creek course record of 61 set at the Mena Tour’s Dubai Creek Open in 2017.
“I just played really well. Putting wasn’t the best but I hit it pretty well and pretty close to the hole and grabbed one or two on the front nine. Then on the back nine everything started rolling in, which was pretty awesome,” said Jin, who, who made five birdies on his inward nine.
From the original field of 93, exactly 50 players from 15 different countries made the cut.
Created by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A, the AAC was established to help develop amateur golf in the region. 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.
For more information, log on to aacgolf.com
