Jack Buchanan from Australia recently finished runners-up at the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship
The Bonallack Trophy, a prestigious biennial event featuring 12-player teams from Europe and Asia-Pacific, is all set to take place at La Manga GC in Spain from Aug. 3-5 with India Golf Weekly editor Rishi Narain named non playing captain for the star studded Asia Pacific
Team, a first for any Indian.
The only Indian player selected to play is 16 year old Avani Prashanth, who plays on the simultaneously held women’s match for the Patsy Hankins Trophy.
Joshua Bai of New Zealand recently registered a runners-up finish at the US Junior Am
Rishi lauded recent notable performances of a few of his players like Jet-setting 17 yr old New Zealander Joshua Bai , who produced a brilliant run of form to reach the final at the 75th US Junior Amateur Championship in South Carolina that finished last weekend.
Although he was defeated two-down in an enthralling, weather-hit 36-hole against American Bryan Kim on Sunday, Bai’s stock has soared.
“It was a fabulous performance from Joshua and will hopefully provide a timely boost for all of our team members,” said Rishi. “Joshua excelled in both the stroke play and match play segments at the US Junior and we hope his experience there will stand him in good stead for the challenge that lies ahead this week,” added Narain.
Following the Bonallack Trophy in Spain, Bai will play in the US Amateur at Cherry Hills before returning to New Zealand.
Chuan Tai Lin from Chinese Taipei is a senior at the University of Washington
Two other members of the Asia-Pacific team that have arrived in Spain in good form after impressive exploits in Canada are Australian Jack Buchanan and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chuan-tai.
At the 56th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship at Capilano Golf & Country Club in Vancouver, Buchanan was pipped for the title in a play-off, having posted rounds of 65, 65, 66 and a closing 71 for a 13-under total. Two strokes further back in a share of third place was Lin.
“It’s encouraging that Joshua, Jack and Chuan-tai are all in such good form ahead of what promises to be a memorable week,” said Narain.
The Asia-Pacific team narrowly defeated Europe 16.5 to 15.5 in 2018, which was the last time the event was held.
Asia-Pacific Bonallack Trophy Team
Joshua Bai (New Zealand); Jack Buchanan (Australia); Cho Woo-young
(Korea); Harrison Crowe (Australia); Taichiro Ideriha (Japan); Jang Yu-bin
(Korea); Lin Chuan-tai (Chinese Taipei); Nguyen Ahn Minh (Vietnam); Yuta
Sugiura (Japan); Mako Thompson (New Zealand), Malcolm Ting (Malaysia);
Sampson Zheng Yunhe (China).