Shubham Jaglan, who is a first year student at the University of South Florida joined the Indian squad in Dubai and recorded steady rounds of 70-68-69-69 for a total of 8-under 276 to finish tied-11th as the best Indian at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship (APAC) played at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.
Only two other Indian boys made the cut to the final round. 16-year-old Milind Soni of Hyderabad shot 71-69-71-76 (3-over 287) to finish 41st and 20-year-old Akshay Neranjen of Bangalore shot 74-69-71-76 (6-over 290) and finished tied-45th in Dubai. A total of seven boys represented India at the prestigious four day event, where three of them made the cut-line set at 2-over 144 for two days.
25-year-old Rohan Dholepatil (72-73) of Pune looked like he too would make the 36 hole cut after making a birdie on the 16th and a par on the 17th, before he made a bogey on the final hole meant he had to miss the cut by a stroke.
Other Indians in the field Arkesh Bhatia (74-72) of Jacksonville University of Florida, while Arjun Gupta and Aryan Roopa Anand shot matching 75-73 over two days.
The APAC is the most prestigious Amateur event in Asia, where invitations are sent out to leading players from the 42 Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) affiliated countries based on their World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). The tournament was won by Japan’s #1 ranked Amateur in the world, Keita Nakajima in a two-hole playoff against Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho.
Top Finishes by Indian Amateurs at past editions –
Golfer Position Year
Rayhan Thomas T-2 2018
Khalin Joshi T-9 2010
Chikkarangappa S. T-12 2012
Kartik Sharma T-13 2018
Credits:-
Photo – AAC Golf