Japan’s Keita Nakajima made a critical par save after taking a penalty drop on the closing hole to take a one-stroke lead after the third round of the 12th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) on Friday at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.
The No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking ® (WAGR ®) shot a four-under-par 67 to finish 11 under, one ahead of a fast-charging defending champion Yuxin Lin. The Chinese star, who finished the second round T-15 and four strokes off the lead, roared back in contention with a stunning six-under-par 65 that included seven birdies and a solitary bogey.
Overnight leader Bo Jin (70) of China, brother of 2015 AAC champion Cheng Jin, seemed to be cruising towards another bogey-free round after 16 holes. He was 11 under par total after three birdies and tied for the lead with Nakajima but bogeyed the 17th and 18th holes to drop down to nine under par and tied for third place with Korea’s Sam Choi (69).
Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho shot the best round of the day – a seven-under-par 64 – and his reward was a significant jump up the leaderboard to solo fifth place at eight under par. A big group of seven players finished T-6 place at seven under par, four behind the leader.
The only mistake Nakajima made all day before his pulling his tee shot into the penalty area on the 18th was a three-putt bogey on the eighth hole.
Excited to be in contention
“I am really proud of the par save on the 18th and a big birdie on the 16th [he made a 15-foot putt]. The last three holes are very challenging on this course, so to finish them in one under was good,” said the 21-year-old Nakajima, who is hoping to become the third Japanese winner of the AAC after 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama (2010, 2011) and his good friend Takumi Kanaya (2018).
“I was a bit nervous at the start, but made birdies on the third and fourth holes, and that gave me nice momentum. I did miss a couple of short putts, but then I also made the big putts on the 16th and 18th.
“One shot ahead, I am really excited to be in the position I am in. I just want to have a good preparation tomorrow morning. Because of the way I finished, I am feeling very confident.”
