Japan’s Taisei Nagasaki leads the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai after the third round. He is now just one good round away from earning spots in both next year’s Open Championship and Masters Tournament – prizes that go to the champion.
Nagasaki made the first big move on Saturday. He raced to the turn in four-under-par 31 before stalling somewhat at the start of the back nine, dropping a shot at the 12th. He bounced back with a birdie at the par five 13th.
He then turned on the afterburners with another run of three straight birdies from the 15th to reach seven-under for the day and 17-under for the championship. It’s the lowest 54-hole score in AAC history.
Just 16 years old, Nagasaki is playing in his first AAC. Nagasaki has had a good year on the amateur circuit. He finished runner-up in the Japan Amateur Championship.
Nagasaki is confident of making it in the game. “I believe I have more desire to win this tournament than any player in the field,” he said. “I want to win The Masters by the time I’m 27.”
Another Japanese player Rintaro Nakano is Nagasaki’s closest challenger. The 21-year-old shot 71 to reach 12-under, five back of Nagasaki.
Nakano finished third last year on home soil and is aiming to join Hideki Matsuyama, Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima as Japanese AAC champions. Nakano has enjoyed a good season, making the round of 16 in the Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s and the round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club in California.
Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee is six back of Nagasaki on 11-under. He played a.solid round of 70 but was disappointed to close with a bogey six for the second straight day.
Laopakdee started the event as the top-ranked player in the field. The 20-year-old Thai player is 53rd on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Australia’s Billy Dowling played an excellent back nine to get to 10-under for the tournament. Dowling, who finished runner-up in this year’s Scottish Amateur Championship, birdied four of his last five holes enroute to a 68.
The 20-year-old is playing in his third AAC. On home soil at Royal Melbourne in 2023, he was in second spot through 54 holes before fading to finish 10th.
Vietnam’s Khanh Hung Le is also on 10-under. Aged just 17 Hung Le has committed to play for the University of Illinois.
Overnight co-leader, Australia’s Harry Takis had a disaster on the 5th hole. His tee shot couldn’t be found and quite possibly had become lodged at the top of one of the palm trees down the left side.
He had to go back to the tee from where he hit another that definitely ended lodged in a palm tree. But it was impossible to identify it so the 20-year-old had to go and play five off the tee. He made an eight.
That might have been the end of the road for Takis but he battled back brilliantly. He finished with two straight birdies to get back to 10-under-par and keep himself in the tournament.
Japan’s Kanichiro Katano made a hole-in-one on the 11th hole. He finished with 68 for an eight-under par, three-round total.
The winner of the AAC earns a place in both The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and the 2026 Masters Tournament, plus an exemption for The Amateur Championship, the runner up or runners up gain a place in The Open Qualifying Series and the top-three will receive an exemption into The Amateur Championship
The top prizes are significant and can be life-changing for the individuals who secure them.
“I need to focus on one shot at a time tomorrow,” said Nagasaki. “I have to stay in the moment.”
The AAC was founded in 2009, a joint venture between The R&A, The Masters Tournament and the Asia Pacific Golf Federation.
The event has played a significant role in growing the game in the region and around the world. 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama is a two-time former champion and 2022 Open champion Cam Smith is an alumni of the event.
Following the success of the early instalments of the AAC, further elite international amateur tournaments have been founded, including the Latin America Amateur Championship and the Women’s Asia Pacific Championship.
