Friday 24 / October / 2025
DUBAI: The winds of competition swirled around the Majlis course of the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai on Friday as the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) reached its halfway point. The trio of Vietnam’s Khanh Hung Le, Australia’s Harry Takis, and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano rose to the top, locked at 11-under-par in a contest where momentum seemed to shift with every putt.
Among the trio, Le, 17, stood out for his consistency, maintaining his place in the lead for a second successive day. The teenager, who has his father on the bag as caddie, opened with three consecutive birdies and added further gains on the sixth and 10th holes.
A couple of dropped shots on the 12th and 14th threatened to stall his charge, but Le recovered superbly with birdies on the 15th and 17th to sign for a 67 — adding to his opening 66 for a two-round total of 11-under.
Takis, 20, made a late surge to join the Vietnamese star at the top. The 20-year-old produced a sizzling back-nine performance, firing three straight birdies from the 13th and another on the 17th to post a second-round 66. His aggressive approach and confident putting underlined his determination to stay in the mix heading into the weekend.
Nakano, 21, completed the leading trio after delivering a composed 66 that included six birdies and an eagle on the 13th. The 21-year-old, who finished third in last year’s championship on home soil, is aiming to follow in the footsteps of past Japanese winners Hideki Matsuyama, Takumi Kanaya, and Keita Nakajima.
With rounds of 67 and 66, Nakano has shown the poise of a player ready to make another strong run at the title.
Fellow Japanese player Taisei Nagasaki also impressed in Dubai, carding a second successive 67 to reach 10-under and briefly hold the morning clubhouse lead. Just 16 years old and making his AAC debut, Nagasaki displayed remarkable composure, producing five birdies without a single bogey. Starting from the 10th tee, he capped his round with a birdie on the ninth to stay well within striking distance of the leaders.
Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee, who shared the overnight lead after day one, slipped to nine-under following a tough finish that saw him record a six on the par-5 18th. Despite the stumble, the young Thai remains firmly in contention heading into the weekend.
At even par through two rounds, Geoffrey Laklak of Lebanon made history on Friday as the first player from his nation to make the cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. Lebanese players had made 22 previous appearances in the Championship’s 16-year history prior to Laklak’s breakthrough on Friday.
Sixty-two players made the cut which fell at six-over 150. Three hometown players from the UAE made the cut: Ahmad Skaik, Sam Mullane and Rayan Ahmed. Players from the UAE had only made the cut twice previously in the Championship’s history.
The winner of this year’s AAC will earn coveted spots in both The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and the 2026 Masters Tournament, along with an exemption into The Amateur Championship. The runner-up (or runners-up) will gain entry into The Open Qualifying Series, while the top three finishers will also receive exemptions into The Amateur Championship.
