MALAYSIAN teenager Rizq Adam Rohizam showed great skill and character as he claimed a morale-boosting joint eighth finish in the 15th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan.
The 18-year-old talent signed in a closing round of even-par 70 for a 72-hole aggregate of 4-under-par 276 (67-68-71-70), eight strokes behind tournament winner Wenyi Ding of China. In pleasant weather conditions minus the fog and rain that had plagued the last two days, Rizq had to complete 13 holes of his third round early on Sunday morning.
Rizq was among the main contenders over the first 36 holes, with rounds of 67 and 68 placing him in joint fourth place just two strokes off the halfway lead. While he was disappointed with his eventual finish, the youngster will take a bunch of positives from his second Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship appearance.
“It could have been gone better the last two days, of course. But for my second time at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, I’ll take it as a learning experience and hopefully get another chance next year.
It’s an amazing experience and obviously a huge honour to play in this event. The hospitality is off the charts, and they pick the best venues in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Rizq, who missed the cut in the 2021 edition at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in the United Arab Emirates.
Currently in his freshman year at Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rizq had to come back to reality quickly before he heads back to the United States.
“First things first – I have homework to do and a test coming up, so I’ve got to study for that! I go back to the States tomorrow and start practising with the team again, before the final fall tournament in the last week of October,” he said.
Rizq narrowly missed matching Malaysia’s best finish in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, which is seventh place achieved by Marcus Lim (Royal Melbourne Golf Club, 2023), Ervin Chang (Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore, 2018) and Mohd Iszaimi Ismail (Mission Hills Golf Club, China, 2009).
The other Malaysian to make the cut, 2024 Sukma Games individual gold medallist Anson Yeo, shot a final round 75 and settled for T47 place on 11-over-par 291 (72-71-73-75). This was the third successive year that the 18-year-old has progressed to the weekend in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
Five Malaysians had started the tournament at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba, but three failed to make the 36- hole cut which came at seven-over-par – Andrew Yap (74, 74), Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid (72, 78) and Zubair Firdaus (74, 77).
Champion Ding receives an invitation to the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and exemptions into The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush and the 129th Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s, provided he remains an amateur.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in 2009 as a joint initiative between the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A, with the aim of further developing golf in the Asia-Pacific region. Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and Australian Cameron Smith, champion of The 150th Open.
Collectively, alumni of the Championship have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 events across major professional tours. The Championship returns for the second time to Japan, which hosted the second edition of the event in 2010. Taiheiyo Club Gotemba, located at the base of Mount Fuji, is hosting the Championship for the first time.
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