Malaysia’s Marcus Lim capitalised on relatively benign conditions during the second round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, carding a solid one-under-par 70 to head into the weekend in joint seventh place.
With the sun out to warm the fairways of Royal Melbourne Golf Club following yesterday’s windy and wet weather, the 21-year-old nailed three birdies against two bogeys at the par-71 Composite Course for a 36-hole total of even-par 142 (72, 70). Lim is just three strokes behind co-leaders Lin Chuan-tai of Chinese Taipei and Ding Wenyi of the People’s Republic of China.
“The first nine holes were pretty calm and I managed to take advantage, but I still missed a couple of short birdie putts. Royal Melbourne is a great golf course and I’m still learning a couple of shots here and there, but all in all it’s been good.” said Lim.
“I’m going to stick to my gameplan and play smart, because if you get too aggressive out here you can easily make double or triple bogey. I’ll be a bit more aggressive with the putts and hopefully a few more will drop,” added the senior at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
Joining Lim in the final 36 holes are compatriots Zubair Firdaus (74, 75), Anson Yeo (74, 79) and Nateeshvar Ganesh (78, 76). Yeo was the best Malaysian in tied 29th place on his Asia-Pacific Amateur debut at Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand last year, while Zubair was tied 32nd.
18-year-old Nateeshvar meanwhile will relish making the cut of 12-over-par on the number, having missed out on the weekend in his two previous appearances.
However, debutantes Andrew Yap and Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid failed to progress. While disappointed, 14-year-old Yap was happy that he had the chance to compete against the region’s best amateurs at one of the world’s top golf courses.
“Playing Royal Melbourne was a great experience as this is my first time playing links golf. Even though I played badly, I gained a lot of experience and hopefully I’ll play better next time. This is my first time playing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur and it’s amazing how we’re treated like VIPs. It felt like a PGA Tour event,” said Yap, who carded rounds of 80 and 79.
The 24-year-old Zia did well to sign in a second round 73, which was 13 shots better than his opening 86.
“Overall, this has been an amazing experience although I really struggled in the windy and wet conditions yesterday, which I have never experienced before. Being able to play Royal Melbourne is a privilege indeed and I will cherish it forever,” said the Universiti Utara Malaysia student.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur champion will receive an invitation to the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and exemptions into The 152nd Open at Royal Troon and the 129th Amateur Championship, provided he retains his amateur status.
Malaysia’s best finish in the championship is seventh, achieved by Ervin Chang in 2018 at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore and by Mohd Iszaimi Ismail in the inaugural 2009 championship at Mission Hills Golf Club in China.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in February 2009 as a joint initiative to grow the game by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, The Masters Tournament and The R&A. Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, a two-time winner of the championship, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia.
