Malaysia’s Rizq Adam Rohizam will head into the weekend of the 15th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship four shots off the lead at the par-70 Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan.
The 18-year-old is in T5 position on three-under-par having completed 12 holes of the weather-hit second round on Friday, where heavy fog forced the start to be delayed by six and a half hours to 1pm. Only nine players managed to complete their second rounds.
First round leader Randy Bintang of Indonesia, who opened with a 65 on Thursday, is among 60 players who will only commence their second rounds on Saturday morning.
Rizq rued two late dropped shots but remains pumped up for a strong showing in the prestigious Championship, having missed the cut in his only previous appearance at Dubai Creek in 2021.
“I’m feeling pretty good about everything except my putter, which is still cold. But I made a great putt on 9 for birdie, about a 60-foot slider, and had an easy birdie on the par-five third hole. I had a three-putt bogey on 10 and, on 11, I pushed my second shot from the rough into the trees, chipped on and two-putted for bogey, ” said Rizq, who shot 67 in Thursday’s first round.
“Anything can happen, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hope I can post a good score,” noted the Missouri University of Science & Technology freshman.
The next best-placed Malaysian is Anson Yeo, who lies in T46 position on three-over-par following a second round 71.
“It was tough with the long delay because of the fog. But I’m happy that I managed to finish the round today. I didn’t play as well as I would have wanted to, but it wasn’t that bad. I hope that I can finish better than my first two Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships,” said Yeo, who finished 67th at Royal Melbourne in 2023 and T29 at Amata Spring in 2022.
Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid is in T84 position on nine-over-par through 15 holes of Round 2, while Zubair Firdaus is in 92nd spot on 11-over-par also through 15.
Malaysia’s top-ranked male amateur, Andrew Yap, will only start his second round tomorrow morning having shot an opening 74 on Thursday.
Japan’s Rintaro Nakano tops the current leaderboard on seven-under-par through 13 holes of his second round, one shot ahead of playing partner and tournament favourite Wenyi Ding of China.
The winner will be rewarded with an invitation to the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and exemptions into The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush and the 129th Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s.
Malaysia’s best finish in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is seventh, achieved by Marcus Lim (Royal Melbourne Golf Club, 2023), Ervin Chang (Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore, 2018) and Mohd Iszaimi Ismail (Mission Hills Golf Club, China, 2009).
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in 2009 as a joint initiative between the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A, with the aim of further developing golf in the Asia-Pacific region. Notable past competitors include Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur and the 2021 Masters champion, and Cameron Smith, champion of The 150th Open.
Collectively, alumni of the Championship have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 events across major professional tours. The Championship returns for the second time to Japan, which hosted the second edition of the event in 2010. Taiheiyo Club Gotemba, located at the base of Mount Fuji, is hosting the Championship for the first time.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is the most widely distributed amateur golf event across the world, with its high-definition broadcast including three hours of live coverage on each of the four competition days. A 30-minute highlight show will also be produced following the conclusion of the final round.
