Keita Nakajima became the third player from Japan to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), defeating Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho on the second hole of a thrilling playoff on Saturday at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.
The No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking ® (WAGR®) shot a three-under-par 68 in the final round to catch up with Kho, who fired a 64 in the third round followed by a 65 to finish on 14 under par.
The two players headed back to the 18th hole, which was parred in the first attempt. Kho then found the water with his second from the right fairway bunker playing it a second time. Nakajima hit a superb drive, followed by a second to 20 feet. He rolled that in to seal the victory with a birdie.
It was the second consecutive playoff in AAC history, following the two extra holes played by Yuxin Lin and Takumi Kanaya in the 2019 championship in Shanghai.
With his win, the 21-year-old Nakajima receives an invitation to the Masters Tournament in 2022, thus making his dream of playing a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club with the reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama come true, as well as an exemption into The 150th Open at St Andrews.
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Visit https://AACGolf.com for free, worldwide streaming of all four tournament rounds, view live scores and get the latest news.
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Additional information:
The 12th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship will be held from November 3-6, 2021 at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in Dubai, UAE.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in February 2009 as a joint initiative to develop the game by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and The R&A. An invitation to play in the Masters Tournament and The Open is given to the winner, while both the runner(s)-up gain a place in The Open Qualifying Series.
The typical 120-player field is annually comprised of the top male amateurs in the Asia-Pacific region representing the 40 Asia Pacific Golf Confederation member organizations.
