Taiwan’s Lin and China’s Ding Share Lead at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
Chuan-tai Lin of Taiwan and Wenyi Ding of China have emerged as the frontrunners at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, currently underway at Royal Melbourne in Australia. After the conclusion of the second round on Friday, both players stood at the top of the leaderboard with impressive performances.
Lin carded a remarkable 5-under 67, while Ding posted a solid 70, resulting in two-round totals of 139. Not far behind, there was a four-way tie for third place, including New Zealand’s Kazmua Kobori, who had led after the first round but struggled with a 75 on Friday.
For Lin, who previously competed in the Junior Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in 2019, it was a day of triumphant play. With six birdies and just two dropped shots, he demonstrated his skills and surged up the leaderboard. Reflecting on his performance, he said, It was definitely a good day of business. Today I started by just hitting a lot of good shots, and sometimes putts drop, sometimes they don’t. But just try to hang in there; it’s definitely more scoreable in the morning compared to the wind yesterday.
Meanwhile, Ding had a strong start with two birdies in his opening four holes but faced some setbacks with bogeys at the fifth and seventh holes. However, the Arizona State freshman managed to recover with birdies at the 10th and 13th, only to drop a shot on the final hole.
Royal Melbourne has presented challenging conditions throughout the first two rounds of the championship. As a result, the cut for the top 60 and ties was set at 12-over 154.
The stakes are high at this tournament, as the winner will secure an invitation to the 2024 Masters and a spot in next year’s Open at Royal Troon. Additionally, the champion will be exempt from qualifying for The Amateur.
This is the second time the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship has been held at Royal Melbourne, which also hosted the prestigious Presidents Cup in 2019.
With Lin and Ding leading the way, anticipation is growing as the competition heads into its final rounds. Golf enthusiasts and fans around the world are eagerly watching to see who will emerge victorious and secure their spot in the esteemed tournaments ahead.
