AUCKLAND (Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship): Nguyen Tuan Anh carded a two-over 73 to remain in tied 14th position after the third round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship on Saturday as New Zealand’s Zack Swanwick seized the 54-hole lead.
Tuan Anh endured a roller-coaster day with three birdies against five bogeys at a sun-kissed Te Arai Links for a three-day total of 5-over, some 12 shots behind Zack Swanwick of New Zealand who carded a 67 to lead by two shots from defending champion Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand (73) and countryman, Cooper Moore (71).
Ho Anh Huy, the other Vietnamese player to advance into the weekend play, shot a 75 to finish the day in tied 48th position.
While Tuan Anh may be out of contention on Sunday, when the champion will earn coveted spots in next year’s Masters and The Open, the 17-year-old will have an opportunity to challenge for the country’s best finish in the Championship.
Le Khanh Hung holds Vietnam’s best result with his joint fifth-place finish in Dubai last year.
After three opening pars, Tuan Anh, who has committed to join the University of Southern California, made two birdies against four bogeys to finish 37, before trading another bogey for a birdie on the 15th hole.
Any Huy also endured a challenging day, dropping two double bogeys, three bogeys and picking up three birdies along the way to sit on 17-over for the Championship in T48.
Swanwick will aim to win New Zealand's first-ever Asia-Pacific Amateur title.
“I think I have to stick to the game plan. Hit fairways and greens. It’s a spot I’ve not been in a while and I’ll try to enjoy every second of it,” said the 20-year-old Swanwick, who is ranked 24th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. -- Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
