Wenyi Ding Wins 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship

GOTEMBA, Japan – China’s Wenyi Ding gained the 2024 Asia-Pacific Beginner Championship on Sunday after a final-round 67, his fourth consecutive 67 on the par-70 Taiheiyo Membership Gotemba.

The 12-under whole was sufficient to edge fellow China countryman Ziqin Zhou by one stroke as the sector battled wet circumstances all through the week within the foothills of Mount Fuji. The win marks the fifth victory by a Chinese language participant within the 15 editions of the Championship, essentially the most by any nation.

“It feels actually good. Final 12 months I misplaced within the playoff and simply felt I couldn’t play any higher. And this 12 months I acquired the trophy, it’s wonderful,” stated Ding. “Earlier than I performed No. 17 I didn’t need to play for a birdie. I simply needed to avoid wasting a par. I felt nervous on the birdie putt (on 18). I don’t know why but it surely went three or 4 toes by. I used to be capable of gap it.”

Ding entered the Championship because the highest-ranked participant within the subject at No. 5 within the World Beginner Golf Rating. He fell on the second gap of a playoff on the 2023 Asia-Pacific Beginner Championship held at The Royal Melbourne Golf Membership.

The 19-year-old moved forward with a birdie on the third and adopted up with a birdie on the ninth to guide by three on the flip over Zhou, an 18-year-old member of the boys’s golf workforce on the College of California – Berkeley.

Zhou birdied the par-5 18th to briefly tie the lead earlier than Ding’s birdie on the par-3 seventeenth – a 239-yard shot that landed inside six toes – proved to be the distinction. He discovered a bunker off the tee on the par-5 18th and laid as much as 140 yards. His strategy shot discovered the again of the inexperienced and the following two-putt, capped by a four-foot comeback putt, gained the Championship.

In his champion’s press convention, Ding referenced Haotong Li as a Chinese language participant he has seemed as much as over time.

“Completely, it is Haotong Li; I believe he acquired high three in The Open,” stated Ding. “He is a very good participant and brother…I do not consider one thing like a Chinese language participant can’t do one thing. I simply consider we are able to do [anything].”

Zhou put up a robust contest, particularly after closing out a third-round 65 to take the lead.   

“Yeah, I am completely satisfied; I am completely satisfied concerning the efficiency all week,” stated Zhou. “I did not make like an enormous mistake. I hit each tee shot good. Most likely missed a pair however I solely acquired six bogeys by way of 4 days on this course, particularly, is fairly good. I am very completely satisfied for him. The trophy is again on Crew China now.”

Ding got here out on high after an prolonged day’s play which noticed the third spherical accomplished Sunday morning after a fog delay of six and a half hours on Friday led to a delayed begin for every spherical.

The ultimate spherical acquired underway at 9 a.m. with Ding and Zhou tied for the lead at nine-under-par, two photographs away from Japan’s Rintaro Nakano and Seonghyeon An of Korea.

Nakano, who paced the Championship in earlier rounds, racked up three consecutive birdies on the flip to get again into competition. The 20-year-old then narrowly missed out on an eagle on the fifteenth however his birdie took him to inside two of the lead. Nakano’s fellow countryman Reo Maruo additionally made a cost after the flip with 5 again 9 birdies, and an eagle putt on the final which simply got here up brief, to set the clubhouse lead at nine-under.

In addition to claiming the AAC trophy together with his victory, Ding secures an exemption to the Masters Match, The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush and The a hundred and thirtieth Beginner Championship at Royal St George’s.

For extra info on the Asia-Pacific Beginner Championship, please go to AACgolf.com and comply with @AAC_Golf on Fb, Instagram, X, TikTok and YouTube.