Marcus Lim carded a battling one-over-par 72 in challenging conditions to be the best-placed Malaysian in tied ninth place following the first round of the 14th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
The United States-based Lim traded three birdies against two bogeys and a double bogey at Royal Melbourne Golf Club’s par-71 Composite Course to lie six strokes behind leader Kazuma Kobori of New Zealand.
“I was striking the ball well all day and putting myself in good spots, and I managed to make couple of putts here and there. Everything was pretty solid, so I’m happy with how the day went. Hopefully I can make more putts tomorrow” said Lim, who is a senior at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
Starting from the ninth hole, Lim’s double bogey came late at the driveable par-four fourth. “I was torn between driver and three-iron, and I thought the wind was blowing straight into the shot, so I pulled driver. But as soon as I hit it, the wind shifted and my ball was lost in the trees and I had to tee up again,” explained the 21-year-old.
Anson Yeo and Zubair Firdaus were the next best-placed Malaysians in tied 27th position following opening three-over-par 74s.
“It was very tough today with the wind and cold weather. I’m happy with my round, especially my chipping and putting although I had two three-putts on the back nine. My irons weren’t working really well, and I managed to save a lot of pars with up-and-downs,” said the 17-year-old Yeo, who was the best Malaysian in tied 29th place on his Asia-Pacific Amateur debut at Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand last year.
Zubair meanwhile had a colourful round, off-setting two bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey with four birdies including two on his last three holes. The 21-year-old finished tied 32nd in his maiden Asia-Pacific Amateur appearance in Thailand last year.
“I’m happy with the way I finished. It was a good comeback and I still managed a reasonable score. Just a couple of tough holes on the front nine where I dropped quite a few shots. Overall, I was hitting it pretty good and putting myself in the right spots,” said Zubair, who is a junior at San Jose State University.
Nateeshvar Ganesh carded a round of 78 to lie tied 62nd in his third successive Asia-Pacific Amateur appearance. The 18-year-old from Melaka has yet to make the halfway cut and will be keen to put in a good round tomorrow.
Debutantes Andrew Yap, 14, and Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid, 24, struggled in the morning when conditions were even more severe, carding 80 and 86 respectively.
Top-ranked Malaysian Malcolm Ting had to withdraw following an unfortunate fall in his hotel bathroom on Monday, which resulted in a lower back injury.
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.
