Jaden Dumdumaya leads four Filipino golfers after windy Asia-Pacific Amateur opener at Te Arai Links
Four Filipino golfers are competing at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Te Arai Links in Tomarata, New Zealand, where debutant Jaden Dumdumaya shot a 2-over 73 in gusty winds to sit tied 29th after the opening round.
Four Filipino golfers teed off at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) at Te Arai Links in Tomarata, New Zealand, on Thursday, with Jaden Dumdumaya the best of the group after the opening round, Philstar reported.
Dumdumaya, making his AAC debut, shot a 2-over 73 for tied 29th position in blustery conditions, with wind gusting up to 54kph. He carded four birdies against four bogeys and one double bogey, and was four-over through 10 holes before fighting back with three birdies against another bogey.
"I was telling myself that there are a lot of holes left. Just not trying to make it worse for myself or keep adding to my score. I knew there's 72 holes in golf, and having finished 18, I just need to kind of do my best to reset and start over and then continue fighting from that point," Dumdumaya said.
Reigning Philippine Amateur Open champion Shinichi Suzuki struggled to a 78, while Bregente and Chris Remata shot an 81 and 84, respectively, leaving them with a tough task to make the weekend cut on Friday.
The Philippine quartet
- Jaden Dumdumaya, 20, is the highest-ranked Filipino in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at No. 67.
- Shinichi Suzuki, 18, is making his fourth AAC appearance.
- Bregente, 24, is making his first appearance.
- Chris Remata said one of the courses he plays in the Philippines is similar with the winds.
A pathway to the Masters
The AAC was launched in 2009 by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, The R&A and the Masters Tournament, and its champion gets a ticket to the Masters and The Open. No Filipino has won since the tournament's inception, with Lloyd Go's fourth-place finish in Singapore in 2018 standing as the country's best result.
At the top of the leaderboard, Thailand's defending champion Fifa Laopakdee opened with an 8-under 63 to lead by three from New Zealand's Joshua Bai, who shot a 5-under 66.
Read the web like we doTurn any page into clean, ready-to-use data with FirecrawlKey facts
- Jaden Dumdumaya shot a 2-over 73 for tied 29th position in the opening round at Te Arai Links.
- Shinichi Suzuki shot 78, while Bregente and Chris Remata shot 81 and 84.
- Fifa Laopakdee leads by three after an 8-under 63, ahead of New Zealand's Joshua Bai on 66.
Official sources
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