Yashal shines at Asian Amateurs as Bo Jin takes lead

CHONBURI, Thailand: Pakistan’s Yashal Shah catapulted himself into contention to make the cut at the 13th Asia Pacific Amateur Golf Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club on Thursday.

Karachi’s Yashal, Pakistan’s third-best ranked player in the contest, fired a superb round of 1-under par 71 to bolster his chances of making the cut in the prestigious champion.

Also in with a chance to make the cut was Lahore’s Salman Jehangir, who carded four-over par 76 after starting with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes.

Karachi’s Saim Shazli squandered a great start to finish with 77.

Omar Khalid, also from Karachi, made a disappointing start to his maiden campaign in the Asian Amateurs finishing with 82. While the other three Pakistani players teed off in the afternoon session, Omar started early morning and struggled on the wet course. “Because of overnight rains, the course was very wet in the morning and I was unable to cope with it,” said Omar, who had ten bogeys and eight pars in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Bo Jin of China, T-3 last year in Dubai and the younger brother of 2015 champion Cheng Jin—is looking down on the other 119 competitors after an opening-round 65 that included six birdies, an eagle and only one dropped shot. The 20-year-old junior at Oklahoma State leads by two shots, but as many as 18 others broke 70 and 40 broke par.

Perhaps most significantly, the highest-ranked player in the field, Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat, is amongst the three-strong group on 67. But others with legitimate ambitions of ultimate success are also lurking nearby. Arizona State graduate James Leow from Singapore matched Chantananuwat’s score. Three members of the formidable seven-strong Australian squad—Harrison Crowe, Karl Vilips and Joshua Greer—shot in the 60s. And, even more impressively, all six of Jin’s compatriots shot par or better.

Despite some putting woes, pre-tournament favorite TK Chantananuwat opened with a 67 to it two shots off the first-round lead.