Three of the seven Indians made it to the final round of the Asia Pacific Amateur Golf Championship. Leading the way was Shubham Jaglan, who went into the tournament without completely looking at the course, while 16-year-old Milind Soni, who made his first trip outside India, also overcame a bout of food poisoning.
He was accompanied for the last two rounds by Akshay Neranjan, who made a comeback from the disappointment of the first round and made the cut.
Jaglan, who is at the University of South Florida and flew from the United States, shot 70-68 and is ranked T-15th from T-24 the day before. Soni (71-69) made it T-22nd while Akshay Neranjan (74-69) also made it to T-41st position.
Rohan Dhole Patil (72-73) bogged down in the 18th position with only a top-50 and a tie to break out of the cutline. He was tied-51st. Also Arkesh Bhatia (74-72), who was T-55th, Aryan Roopa Anand (75-73) and Arjun Gupta (75-73) were in T-58th.
Bo Jin of China became the only leader on his brilliant 7-under 64 and is 8-under for 36 holes. He scored 70 runs on the first day. Bo’s brother Jin Cheng won the AAC in 2015 and Bo accompanied him to Augusta. Now he wants to go there and play. He was also helped in course knowledge by India’s Rehan Thomas, who is Bo’s fellow at the University of Oklahoma. Thomas, the runner-up in the 2018 AAC, holds a course record of 61 at Dubai Creek.
Five players, including world number one amateur Keita Nakajima (67-68), one of the seven leaders overnight, finished second one shot behind. The others are Korea’s Kim Baekjun, Sam Choi and Cho Wooyoung and Australian Conor McKinney. Two-time champion Yuxin Lin (67–71) double bogeyed the final and lost to T-15.
Jaglan could not practice on Tuesday as he had to wait for his COVID test. Light did not allow much practice till he got a negative result and he played only one hole.
16-year-old Soni, on the other hand, had food poisoning and her late Wednesday tea-time helped her. “I just wanted to complete 18 holes,” Soni said of the first day. He added 69 in 71 rounds from day one on the second day.
Jaglan, who made five birdies against two bogeys, said, “The round was very good. I had to play tomorrow (1st round) so I got used to the tee shot and the wind was down and rough is not a punishment. I also felt that my pour was better than yesterday. The greens were a little faster today, which I liked, as most college events are played on fast greens. So, I felt more comfortable.”
“I am really enjoying my experience here so far. The jet lag is going away and I am feeling much healthier too,” he said.
Soni said, “Feeling weak because I was unwell earlier, I lost a few yards from the tee. My first goal on the first day was to complete 18 holes and I got a par round. Today I can play better than 2-under Yes, it should have been three or four unders. I missed a few puts. I feel very tired but better than the first day.”
Akshay Neranjan who was in danger after a card of 74 on day one, was the third Indian in the 60s to shoot 2-under 69 with five birdies, four on the back nine, three against bogeys. He also made the cut.
The winner of the AAC gets a spot in the Masters and Open in 2022.
Leader Bo Jin said, “I’ve learned a lot from Cheng (his brother), but when we go to the golf course, I definitely want to beat him. When he won the championship, I was so excited because it’s a good thing.” It meant I could go to the Masters with him at Augusta National Golf Club. I get a lot of great insight into life and golf from him,” said Bo Jin, who made five birdies on the last nine.
“And Rehan is a great person, and I have a very good friend. We sat down before I came here and he gave me great advice, like how the greens get grainy and how to plant them. And how to shorten the course.” And why should I practice my wedges more than my long barbell. It definitely played a part in my era today.”
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here. follow us on Facebook, Twitter And Wire.
.