AUCKLAND (Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship): Indonesia’s Rayhan Latief became his nation’s best performer in the history of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship on Sunday. However, he would have preferred to have been challenging for the coveted title.
The 19-year-old carded a final round of 2-over 73 at Te Arai Links to finish in equal 16th position, one rung better than his previous best achieved in Dubai last year, where he matched George Gandranata’s T17 outing in 2011.
Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee successfully retained his Asia-Pacific Amateur title to earn starts in the Masters and The Open once again, shooting a closing 70 for a three-shot win over overnight leader, New Zealand’s Zack Swanwick (75). Fifa became only the second player to win back-to-back titles after Hideki Matsuyama of Japan (2010/2011).
A sophomore at the University of North Texas, Rayhan began his final round on a strong note with a birdie on four, but with winds picking up on his back nine, he dropped three strokes coming home to cling on for the country’s best result.
“A lot of big things ahead of me hopefully,” said Rayhan, who was making his fifth consecutive appearance in the Championship.
“Definitely a new experience playing a proper links course with pretty crazy conditions these past couple of days. It's definitely a huge learning curve for me and my career.”
With high winds knocking players off their stride, particularly during the opening two rounds, Rayhan knows the experience would better prepare him as he targets the Asia-Pacific Amateur title again next year when it is held in Hoiana Shores, Vietnam for the first time.
“I threw away some shots on the par 5s, and I'm not supposed to do that. The full takeaway from this week is I have to work on my driving,” said Rayhan.
“100 percent looking forward to next year. I heard it's not going to be as firm as this golf course but it definitely gives you a picture of what it's going to look like next year.”
Fifa sensationally played his way into the Asia-Pacific Amateur history books with a composed display. The 21-year-old, who won the Championship via a play-off against Taisei Nagasaki in Dubai last year, broke down in tears during the trophy presentation.
“It's been a tough year for me. I didn't play great at all this year, and this is like one of the last events, and I wanted to prove to myself that I still got it and I’m still capable of winning this event again. To pull it off, it means the whole world to me,” said Fifa. -- Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
