Aussie amateur Harry Takis' chances of snagging a place at the Masters have receded sharply after a disappointing third round at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai.
The Brisbane golfer, Australia's leading amateur, shot a one-over par 73 and now finds himself seven off the front having gone out in the leading group.
Instead the man, well, boy, dreaming of Augusta is Japan's Taisei Nagasaki, who only turned 16 earlier this month.
The teen roared past the pace-setting trio with a stunning 65 to move five shots clear at 17 under and put himself in pole position for the dual prize of a place at Augusta next year and the British Open at Royal Birkdale.
Compatriot Rintaro Nakano, who had gone out with Takis and 17-year-old Vietnamese prodigy Khanh Hung Le on 11 under, is now second on 12 under with Thailand's Fifa Laopakdee third, a shot back.
Le also shot 73 and he and Takis are level fourth at 10 under along with another Queenslander, opening round leader Billy Dowling, who hauled himself back into contention with a 68.
The pair will hope Nagasaki, being so young, feels the pressure of leading, but he won team and individual gold at the Junior World Cup in June, following the likes of Rasmus Hojgaard and Joaquin Niemann.
A student of Tommy Nakajima's Academy he finished runner-up at this year's Japan Amateur Championship.
It was a red-letter day for another Japanese player, Kanichiro Katano, who achieved a hole in one, the first of his career, at the 154-yard 11th.
