Chopraa still top Indian on tough day as Aussie takes top spot

From a Correspondent

Chonburi, Thailand: Krishnav Nikhil Chopraa was the best placed Indian on tied 39th after the third round of the 13^th Asia Pacific Amateur Championship on Saturday.

Chopraa shot a 2-over 74 to improve his standing by three places.

Two-time All India Amateur champion Aryan Roopa Anand also had a 74 for shared 44^th place while Shaurya Bhattacharya (75) was T46 at the Amata Spring Country Club

AAC debutant Harrison Crowe of Australia shot a bogey-free five-under 67 as overnight leader, Bo Jin (71), besides second-placed Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat (76) and Wooyoung Cho (74) slipped up.

Korea’s Cho, who had three bogeys and a double in his first 10 holes was tied seventh.

TK had the biggest fall to tied 19^th from a share of second with two bogeys and two doubles in his last seven holes.

Bo, whose brother, Cheng won this title in 2015, was tied for second after leading after 36 holes.

Reigning US Junior Amateur champion, China’s 17-year-old Ding Wenyi, assured of a US Open berth by virtue of that result, is now in contention for the AAC, where the winner gets a spot at the Masters and the Open.

Rocky start

Chopraa started with four bogeys and a birdie in his opening nine. He added two birdies and a bogey on his way back to the clubhouse.

Aryan was four over after seven holes but recovered with three birdies and one bogey in the remaining 11 holes.

Shaurya had a tough round, mixing birdies with bogeys and a double on the day.

Crowe, who turned 21 last month, sank two birdies on the front nine and three more on the back and led the pack by two shots.

Crowe’s successes in 2022 include the Australian Master of the Amateurs and the New South Wales Amateur in January.

In March he won the PGA Tour of Australasia’s New South Wales Open. An AAC win will take him to the Masters and the Open, but he would need to stay an amateur, a choice he will make after this week.

Bo, third at the 2021 AAC, had three bogeys and three birdies in his 71.

On 11-under he was alongside Korean debutant 18-year-old Minhyuk Song, who had an eagle, five birdies, one bogey and a double in his 68.

Also read: Three Indians make AAC cut as China’s Jin stays in the lead