Malaysia’s top amateur Khavish Varman Varadan got off to a strong start in the 12th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, carding a two-under-par 69 in yesterday’s opening round to lie in T12 position.
Teenager Rizq Adam Rohizam, age 15, did well to sign in a one-over-par 72 to lie in T41 place, just inside the projected halfway cut. The two other Malaysians in the field, Marcus Lim and 16-year-old Nateeshvar Anatha Ganesh, carded 74 and 79 respectively.
Seven golfers top the leaderboard after opening 67s, including two of the world’s leading men’s amateur golfers, Keita Nakajima of Japan and China’s Yuxin Lin. Jointly leading are Hong Kong’s Alexander Yang, New Zealand’s Jimmy Zheng, Korea’s Wooyoung Cho and Sam Choi, and Lukas Michel, the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion from Australia.
Australia’s Hayden Hopewell, Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, China’s Aaron Du and Chinese Taipei’s Chi-Chun Chen finished T-8 at three under par as 33 players broke par on a windy day.
Lin, winner of the AAC in 2017 and 2019, said: “I thought I played pretty solid today. It was not the best start, but I stayed pretty patient out there and hit some good shots on the front nine.
“I am just trying to stick to the game plan and just stay patient out there. Everyone is going to make mistakes, so just stay calm and ready for the next shot and really just give my everything on every shot.”
Nakajima, who is the same age as Lin (21), made a good start to his campaign as he bids to become the third Japanese player to win the AAC title after Hideki Matsuyama (2010 and 2011) and Takumi Kanaya (2018).
“I was very happy with the way I managed the golf course today. That’s something I want to keep on doing. The putting was also good. I made some good ones and then I missed a few short ones,” said Nakajima.
“I really enjoyed playing with Yuxin. He made some good birdies on the front nine and I also followed him. I did not pay attention to his scores but if I am tied with the defending champion, it’s always a good thing. There’s a lot of golf to be played so we will see.”
Created in 2009, the AAC was established to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific 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.
