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China’s Wenyi Ding won the 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship on Sunday after a final-round 67, his fourth consecutive 67 at the par-70 Taiheiyo Club Gotemba.
The 12-under total was enough to edge fellow China countryman Ziqin Zhou by one stroke as the field battled rainy conditions throughout the week in the foothills of Mount Fuji. The win marks the fifth victory by a Chinese player in the 15 editions of the Championship, the most by any country.
“It feels really good. Last year I lost in the playoff and just felt I couldn’t play any better. And this year I got the trophy, it’s amazing,” said Ding. “Before I played No. 17 I didn’t want to play for a birdie. I just wanted to save a par. I felt nervous on the birdie putt (on 18). I don’t know why but it went three or four feet by. I was able to hole it.”
Highest-ranked winner
Ding entered the Championship as the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He fell on the second hole of a playoff at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship held at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
The 19-year-old moved ahead with a birdie at the third and followed up with a birdie at the ninth to lead by three at the turn over Zhou, an 18-year-old member of the men’s golf team at the University of California – Berkeley. Zhou birdied the par-5 18th to briefly tie the lead before Ding’s birdie at the par-3 17th – a 239-yard shot that landed inside six feet – proved to be the difference. He found a bunker off the tee at the par-5 18th and laid up to 140 yards. His approach shot found the back of the green and the ensuing two-putt, capped by a four-foot comeback putt, won the Championship.
In his champion’s press conference, Ding referenced Haotong Li as a Chinese player he has looked up to over the years.
A Champions Gallery | AAC 2024
Chinese success
“Absolutely, it's Haotong Li; I think he got top three in The Open,” said Ding. “He's a really good player and brother…I don't believe something like a Chinese player can’t do something. I just believe we can do [anything].”
Zhou put up a strong contest, especially after closing out a third-round 65 to take the lead.
“Yeah, I'm happy; I'm happy about the performance all week,” said Zhou. “I didn't make like a big mistake. I hit every tee shot good. Probably missed a couple but I only got six bogeys through four days on this course, especially, is pretty good. I'm very happy for him. The trophy is back on Team China now.”
Ding came out on top after an extended day’s play which saw the third round completed Sunday morning after a fog delay of six and a half hours on Friday led to a delayed start for each round. The final round got underway at 9 a.m. with Ding and Zhou tied for the lead at nine-under-par, two shots clear of Japan’s Rintaro Nakano and Seonghyeon An of Korea.
Nakano, who paced the Championship in earlier rounds, racked up three consecutive birdies at the turn to get back into contention. The 20-year-old then narrowly missed out on an eagle at the 15th but his birdie took him to within two of the lead. Nakano’s fellow countryman Reo Maruo also made a charge after the turn with five back nine birdies, and an eagle putt at the last which just came up short, to set the clubhouse lead at nine-under.
As well as claiming the AAC trophy with his victory, Ding secures an exemption to the Masters Tournament, The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush and The 130th Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s.
