Japan's top player Koshin Nagasaki.
PETALING JAYA: South Korea lead the girls’ team category and Japan top the boys’ team standings respectively, heading into the third and final round of the Selangor International Junior Golf Championship at Seri Selangor Golf Club.
A two-hour rain delay from 8.20am and subsequent afternoon showers softened up the course considerably but failed to dampen the spirits of the players, with a number of low scores popping up on the leaderboard.
Powered by a three-under-par 69 from You Roha, the South Korean team extended their lead to a massive 23 shots in the girls’ team event. Jeon Yuhyun signed in a round of 70 and Park Hyorin carded a 71 for the two other counting scores in a second round total of 210, and a 36-hole aggregate of 434. The fourth player in the team, Han Taein, shot a 76 which did not count due to the best three out of four daily scores format.
South Korean top girls player You Roha.
In a distant second spot on 457 was the Thai quartet of Pattraporn Wantawee, Palinee Vimoonchart, Chanidapa Sripan and Tanjira Issaraphon.
Japan, represented by Meguri Irikura, Yui Sakihama, Ayaka Nishina and Shiina Maruo, lie third on 463. They are six shots ahead of the Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) National Junior Development Program team of Amelia Lee, Ngo Yi Belle, Amberly Zaira Zamri and Siti Nur Husna Aina Abdul Karim Nast.
Park’s total of two-under-par 142 (71, 71) gave her a four-shot advantage over compatriot You (77, 69) in the girls’ individual standings, with Jeon (77, 70) a shot further back on 147.
“I‘m very happy and a little nervous to be in the lead heading into the final round. The wet conditions made the course play tougher today, but I putted really well,” said Park.
In the boys’ team event, Japan took a one-shot lead on the back of a superb six-under-par 66 by Koshin Nagasaki. The two other players, Kouta Inoue and Sakutoshi Yamazaki, shot 73 and 76 respectively, for a second round team score of 215 and a 36-hole total of 430. The Japanese side consists of three players, with Ryota Hayashida pulling out due to illness.
Hot on their heels is the South Korean quartet of Chun Jiyul, Lee Sol, Jung Jiwon and Lee Junki, with a team total of 431.
Thailand (Nithidpong Srichatphirun, Wiss Jittathorn, Siradech Chanha, Pranai Reankrai) are third on 437, ahead of the Philippines (David Charles Serdenia, Gabriel Hernandez, Shinichi Suzuki, Ralph Rian Batican) on countback.
UUM International School Melaka (Kang Geon, Teuku Husein M. Danindra, Declan Ooi Ean Yui, Anis Dylan Sinno) are fifth with a 438 total.
Nagasaki leads the boys’ individual standings with a 36-hole total of eight-under-par 136 (70, 66), four shots ahead of 2024 champion Shijun Jing (69, 71) of the China (Hainan) team, and Korean Kang Geon (72, 68), representing UUM International School Melaka.
Making his first appearance in the event and in Malaysia, the 18-year-old Nagasaki lit up the dreary conditions with two eagles and four birdies against a pair of bogeys.
“The course is not very long, but it was tough today with the rain. My tee shots and approach shots were working well, so my birdie putts were quite short,” said Nagasaki.
Daichi Hayashi also shot 66 to surge up the leaderboard into joint 12th place on two-over-par 146. The 15-year-old Japanese talent, representing the PKNS A team, had opened his campaign with a round of eight-over-par 80.
“When I finished my round yesterday, I went to the driving range to figure out why I kept missing greens. I fixed what I needed to fix, which was my distance control with the irons.
"Today, my body and my brain were both working perfectly and I kept getting on the greens in regulation, and pulled off a few putts,” said Daichi, who has been based in Malaysia since 2020 and trains with the PKNS Golf Academy at Seri Selangor.
As part of the Selangor State Government’s drive to develop golf by providing opportunities to aspiring young golfers, the boys’ individual winner will once again be rewarded with a start at next week’s PKNS Selangor Masters.
If the winner is an international player, an additional slot will be given to the top Malaysian finisher. The US$175,000 PKNS Selangor
Masters is the season-opening event of the 2026 Asian Development Tour.
A total of 115 players teed off in the prestigious World Amateur Golf Ranking event,comprising young talents aged 12 to 19 from 11 countries – Bangladesh, China (Hainan), Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, and Malaysia. 67 boys and 48 girls are competing over 54 holes in separate gender divisions, each featuring individual and team competitions.
The field was cut following 36 holes to the top ten teams (and ties) in both the girls’ and boys’ categories. The ten leading players in the individual events also made it through to the final round, regardless of how their teams performed.
