CHONBURI, Thailand: Yashal Shah kept Pakistan alive in the 13th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand, by making the cut on Friday.
The talented Yashal played a round of even par 72 on Day 2 of the four-day championship to become the only Pakistani to make the cut in the championship. Lahore's Salman Jehangir carded 79 in the second round to fall out of the race for qualification. Saim Shazli scored 77 and missed the cut. Omar Khalid made some amends for his disappointing opening round with 76 in the second round.
Meanwhile, China's Bo Jin holds the halfway lead for the second successive year after staying ahead of a charging Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat of Thailand.
The 20-year-old finished with a bogey on the par-4 ninth hole, but he did enough good work in a three-under-par 69 round to keep his nose ahead of local star and the highest-ranked player in the field, world No. 12 Chantananuwat, and Korea’s Wooyoung Cho.
Chantananuwat, who said he felt a slight strain in his body from the moment he got up this morning, made a birdie on the sixth hole and followed it up with a stunning 66-foot eagle putt on the par-5 seventh hole. A 68 took him to nine under par, one behind leader Jin.
The cut for the championship fell at even par with a total of 54 players from 17 countries securing their places in tomorrow’s third round.
There were some incredible results for the region when Subhash Tamang (70) became the first player from Nepal to make the cut in the history of the championship on even par, followed moments later by Jantai Malataev (69) on two under par achieving the same feat for Kyrgyzstan.