MALAYSIA’s Rizq Adam Rohizam remains in contention for the ongoing 15th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan.

The 18-year-old is in T5 position on three-under-par having completed 12 holes of the weather-hit second round on Friday, where fog and heavy rain forced the start to be delayed by six and a half hours to 1pm.

Rizq, who shot a 67 in the first round, is four shots behind the current leader, Japan’s Rintaro Nakano. Only nine players managed to complete their second rounds.

“I’m feeling pretty good about everything except my putter, which is still cold. But I made a great putt on 9 for birdie, about a 60-foot slider, and had an easy birdie on the par-five third hole,“ he said.

Among the other Malaysian players are Anson Yeo, who finished 67th at Royal Melbourne in 2023 and T29 at Amata Spring in 2022, is currently tied for 46th at three-over-par after shooting a second-round 71.

“It was tough with the long delay because of the fog. But I’m happy that I managed to finish the round today.

“I didn’t play as well as I would have wanted to, but it wasn’t that bad. I hope that I can finish better than my first two Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid is tied for 84th at nine-over-par through 15 holes of Round 2, while Zubair Firdaus sits in 92nd at 11-over-par, also through 15 holes.

Andrew Yap, Malaysia’s top-ranked male amateur, will begin his second round on Saturday after shooting an opening 74.

The championship winner will receive invitations to the 2025 Masters Tournament, The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, and the 129th Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s.

Malaysia’s best finish in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is seventh, 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 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was created in 2009 through a partnership between the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament, and The R&A to promote the growth of golf in the Asia-Pacific region.

Noteworthy participants include Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner and the 2021 Masters champion, and Cameron Smith, who won The 150th Open.

Since its inception, former participants have claimed 27 PGA Tour titles and more than 130 victories across major professional tours.

This year, the tournament returns to Japan for the second time, with Taiheiyo Club Gotemba, situated at the foot of Mount Fuji, hosting the event for the first time.

The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is the most widely televised amateur golf competition globally, featuring three hours of live coverage each day of the tournament, as well as a 30-minute recap after the final round.

For more details, visit (http://www.AACgolf.com) or follow the event’s official pages on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube