Three Tied At Halfway In Asia Pacific Amateur Championship

Harry Takis of Australia, Khanh Hung Le of Vietnam and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano lead the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai after the second round.

Australia’s Harry Takis made a back nine charge to join the leading pack. The 20-year-old fired three straight birdies from the 13th and another at the 17th to reach the top of the leaderboard on 11-under.

Playing his second AAC, Takis is at San Diego State University. This year he won the Singapore Open Amateur by 11 strokes and recorded top-four finishes in both the Australian Master of the Amateurs and Australian Amateur Championship.

You may like

He posted a 66 to sit tied at the top.

Vietnam’s Khanh Hung Le shot a 67 to go with his 66 from day one to also post 11-under.

Aged just 17, Le has committed to play for the University of Illinois. Le has already enjoyed success in the amateur game. Earlier this year he won the Juan Sebastian Munoz Cup in Colombia.

The Vietnamese player, whose dad is caddying for him, started with three straight birdies and made further gains at the sixth and 10th holes. Dropped shots at the 12th and 14th were countered by gains at the 15th and 17th holes.

Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.

(Image credit: AAC)

Japan’s Rintaro Nakano fired a superb second round 66 to also reach 11-under-par through 36 holes. The 21-year-old made six birdies and an eagle on the 13th to follow his opening 67 with a 66.

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 in England and the round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club in California.

Also from Japan, Taisei Nagasaki fired a second consecutive 67 to set the morning clubhouse lead at the Emirates Club on a 36-hole total of 10-under-par.

Just 16 years old, Nagasaki is playing in his first AAC. He played a brilliant round, out early on Friday. His 67 included five birdies and no bogeys. Starting from the 10th tee, the youngster finished with a birdie on the 9th to reach double digits under par.

Nagasaki has had a good year on the amateur circuit. He finished runner-up in the Japan Amateur Championship.

Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee finished two rounds on nine under after finishing with a six on the par-5 18th.

The cut came at six-over.

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.

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.