Harry Takis during his second round of 66 – image APAC
A late surge in his afternoon on day two of the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, has given San Diego State-based Queenslander, Harry Takis, a share of the lead at the halfway mark of the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai.
Beginning the day one off the lead, Takis took a while for his round to build, but once he made the turn at 1 under for the day, he would reel off five birdies on his closing nine to finish with a round of 66 to join Japan’s Rintaro Nakano and Vietnam’s Khanh Hung Le at 11 under and in the lead by one.
“Yeah it was good,” said Takis. “I stayed patient front nine and rattled off a few in a row there on the back, which was nice. Unfortunate to miss that putt on the last.
“I said to my caddie when we made the turn. We were only 1‑under, and I was like, I think we can rattle off a few if he can with stay calm and stay in the present. You have to be patient on the front side, hit it to 15, 20 feet all day, hole a few, and then back nine you can really tear it up if you get hot.”
“There’s no better group to play in than the last one,” added Takis, referring to the opportunity to play with his fellow leaders tomorrow. “I can’t be disappointed with that. It’s what we play for, massive opportunity, great city, great part of the world. It’s golf. So I’m always going to try and enjoy it out there. I think that’s when I play my best.”
Takis, now nearing his second year at San Diego State University in California, is coached by highly regarded Brisbane coach Ian Triggs and in his opening year at San Diego State he has performed with distinction, twice finishing runner-up in Mountain West Conference events, and earlier this year he also won the Singapore Amateur Championship.
The next best of the Australasians is New Zealander Cooper Moore, the New Zealand Amateur and Australian Junior Champion, adding a round of 68 to his opening 69 to be at 7 under and four off the lead.
Moore made a big move early with 5 birdies in his first 13 holes, but the momentum slowed over the closing holes to finish with his round of 68. Still, he is nicely placed to perhaps better his 8th-place finish as the leading Australasian in this event last year.
“Yeah, everything fell into place and everything worked out,” said Moore. “I stayed pretty patient all day. I found myself 5‑under through 13 and in good position and sort of just stayed there for a little bit. Hit a poor swing on 15, the par 3, 6‑iron in and sort of just pulled short left. So, every shot in from there was a bit of a struggle.
“I made a good par on 18 after hitting into the water. Poor course management down there, but that’s all right. We got away with a par and the ball was in the hole in the end. That was nice.”
Queenslander Billy Dowling who was one of three leaders overnight, could only manage a round of 72 on day two and is now in a share of 7th place at 6 under and five from the lead.
Leaderboard
Takis and Dowling seven behind in Dubai
Billy Dowling en route to a round of 68 today – image APAC
Queenslanders Billy Dowling and Harry Takis find themselves seven shots from the lead as the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship heads into tomorrow’s final round at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai.
At 10 under, they trail Japanese 16-year-old Taisei Nagasaki by those seven shots and are in a share of 4th place.
After sharing the lead into today’s third round Takis faltered early when after a birdie at the 3rd hole he recorded a horror quadruple bogey 8 at the 5th hole before dropping another shot at the 8th hole to make the turn in 39.
Takis did, though, gather himself to play the final nine holes in 3 under 34 for a round of 73.
Dowling, after recording 19 straight pars from the 8th hole on Friday, finally birdied the 10th hole today and then added four birdies in his last five holes for a round of 68 and heads into tomorrow’s final round seven back.
Not that such a lead is insurmountable. In 2016, Perth’s Curtis Luck began the final round seven behind his fellow countryman Brett Coletta and caught him to win this title to go with his US Amateur Championship win a few weeks earlier.
Dowling was a little frustrated by his run of pars. “It was a little frustrating at times. You hit so many greens and have a lot of chances, and the putts don’t drop, and when putting is probably the strength of your game, it’s like, wow, this feels like a long time without some entertainment.”
When asked about the seven-shot deficit, he responded; “I mean, it’s golf. I think anything can happen. If I go out and play my game as well as I know I can, then I think I can really get myself up that leaderboard. I don’t know if I’m going to be in the last group or second‑to‑last, but when you hold the lead, you’ve still got to go out and play well.”
Nagasaki is already building quite a record in amateur golf despite his age. Tomorrow, he has created a great opportunity to win the title for a fifth time for Japan.
He has opened up a considerable lead, but given what is at stake tomorrow, including starts at the 2026 Open Championship and the Masters Tournament, and this very significant title, he will have to deal with a lot of pressure, and the chance of a come-from-behind win by his chasers is not completely out of the question.
Leaderboard
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier shares eight way lead in Korea
Daniel Hillier – file image courtesy of NZ Open
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier finds himself in an eight-way tie for the lead at the halfway mark of the Genesis Championship in South Korea, a birdie at his final hole allowing him to be part of one of the largest shares of a lead at the halfway mark of a DP World Tour event.
Currently in 22nd position in the Race to Dubai rankings, the 27-year-old Wellington golfer has experienced an indifferent run since his runner-up finish in the lucrative Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year, but a 9th place finish in India last week suggested things were on the improve, and his showing thus far this week would confirm as much.
“It’s very important out there (staying patient),” said Hillier. “It’s a course where you feel like you should be able to shoot a good score, but if you bite off more than you can chew you can get caught out quickly. I knew I had to hang in there and that chances would come. Thankfully, I managed to snag one on the last to put me in position.”
Also in a share of first after 36 holes are Korea’s Sung Jae Im, Junghwan Lee and Minhyuk Song, Nacho Elvira of Spain, Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick, Haotong Li, of China, and Frenchman Tom Vaillant. Junghwan Lee and Minhyuk Song
Both Hillier and Li have their sights on earning dual membership with the PGA TOUR, as they currently occupy two of the ten coveted spots at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings, whilst Elvira and Vaillant are competing to earn a place in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in a fortnight, the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
David Micheluzzi is the leading Australian this week in 28th place at 2 under, Adam Scott is 44th, while Jason Scrivener just made the weekend in 64th place.
New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori and Australian Elvis Smylie both struggled in their second rounds after what had been solid starts to the week and have missed the cut by one.
Leaderboard
Australian Harry Takis shares lead at Asia Pacific Am
Harry Takis during his second round of 66 – image APAC
A late surge in his afternoon on day two of the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, has given San Diego State-based Queenslander, Harry Takis, a share of the lead at the halfway mark of the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai.
Beginning the day one off the lead, Takis took a while for his round to build, but once he made the turn at 1 under for the day, he would reel off five birdies on his closing nine to finish with a round of 66 to join Japan’s Rintaro Nakano and Vietnam’s Khanh Hung Le at 11 under and in the lead by one.
“Yeah it was good,” said Takis. “I stayed patient front nine and rattled off a few in a row there on the back, which was nice. Unfortunate to miss that putt on the last.
“I said to my caddie when we made the turn. We were only 1‑under, and I was like, I think we can rattle off a few if he can with stay calm and stay in the present. You have to be patient on the front side, hit it to 15, 20 feet all day, hole a few, and then back nine you can really tear it up if you get hot.”
“There’s no better group to play in than the last one,” added Takis, referring to the opportunity to play with his fellow leaders tomorrow. “I can’t be disappointed with that. It’s what we play for, massive opportunity, great city, great part of the world. It’s golf. So I’m always going to try and enjoy it out there. I think that’s when I play my best.”
Takis, now nearing his second year at San Diego State University in California, is coached by highly regarded Brisbane coach Ian Triggs and in his opening year at San Diego State he has performed with distinction, twice finishing runner-up in Mountain West Conference events, and earlier this year he also won the Singapore Amateur Championship.
The next best of the Australasians is New Zealander Cooper Moore, the New Zealand Amateur and Australian Junior Champion, adding a round of 68 to his opening 69 to be at 7 under and four off the lead.
Moore made a big move early with 5 birdies in his first 13 holes, but the momentum slowed over the closing holes to finish with his round of 68. Still, he is nicely placed to perhaps better his 8th-place finish as the leading Australasian in this event last year.
“Yeah, everything fell into place and everything worked out,” said Moore. “I stayed pretty patient all day. I found myself 5‑under through 13 and in good position and sort of just stayed there for a little bit. Hit a poor swing on 15, the par 3, 6‑iron in and sort of just pulled short left. So, every shot in from there was a bit of a struggle.
“I made a good par on 18 after hitting into the water. Poor course management down there, but that’s all right. We got away with a par and the ball was in the hole in the end. That was nice.”
Queenslander Billy Dowling who was one of three leaders overnight, could only manage a round of 72 on day two and is now in a share of 7th place at 6 under and five from the lead.
Leaderboard
Australians start well at Asia Pacific Am
Billy Dowling in action on day one – image APAC
Australian golfers have started well at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in Dubai, the Gold Coast’s Billy Dowling sharing the lead after day one with a round of 66, while his fellow Queenslander Harry Takis is just one back.
Dowling was in the second group out from the 10th tee on day one and took advantage of the outstanding early conditions with five birdies in his opening nine holes. Although the momentum slowed over the closing nine, it was good enough for a share of the day one lead with Vietnam’s Khahn Hun Le and Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand.
Dowling, a member of the Australian Eisenhower team and a member at RACV Royal Pines and the Brisbane Golf Clubs, was not surprisingly happy with his start.
“Very happy, satisfied with how I played,” said Dowling. “There were bits that could be better, but there were a lot of positives.
“We got the best of the greens because they had just been cut and rolled. A bit of dew on the floor, so maybe not so much spin with wedges. Yeah, you can’t complain with the condition of the course.
“I think it (the good start) settles you really well. It’s like a little bank, I suppose. You’ve got a few birdies out of the way. Tomorrow, I can just lean on that momentum from today. I don’t have to try and push for anything tomorrow. And yeah, just sets up the week really nicely.”
Takis was also out in the morning field, and the now San Diego State was both happy and disappointed with his round.
“I got off to a hot start. Steady in the middle, and then a few birdies late was nice, said Takis. “Felt like I was kind of losing track of the field today. I felt like I had to post a number.
“Definitely left a few out there. But I’m not out of it, that’s good.”
The next best of the Australasians was New Zealander Cooper Moore. The Christchurch golfer, who finished as the leading Australasian when 8th last year, opened with a round of 69 to be tied for 10th.
Leaderboard
Asia Pacific Amateur Championship returns to Dubai
This writer interviewing Tianlang Guan during his historic win in Thailand in 2012
This week witnesses the 16th staging of one of golf’s more significant amateur championships, the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, this year being played at the Emirates Golf Club, the second occasion the prestigious event is being played in Dubai.
41 teams from around the Asia Pacific region will field as few as one and as many as seven members, vying to claim a title that earns not only the coveted title of Asia Pacific Amateur Champion but also a start in the 2026 Masters and the 2026 Open Championship, among other benefits.
The event is a partnership between the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation and the Masters Tournament, with most of the funding for the event coming from Augusta National, which uses monies generated by their magnificent major championship in April to fund much of the growth of the game. This is a perfect example.
No expense is spared in the running and broadcasting of the event, played over 72 holes of strokeplay.
Australia will be represented by seven players in 2025. NSW’s Declan Donovan, Jye Halls and Kyan Mudadana will be joined by Queenslanders Harry Takis, Billy Dowling, Chase Oberle and Graeme Hourn, Hourn being the odd man out here given his age of 57 compared to the next oldest Declan O’Donovan (22).
The New Zealand team consists of Christchurch’s Cooper Moore who finished as the leading Australasian in the event in 2024 and Josh Bai and Robby Turnbull of Auckland.
Australians have won the event on four occasions previously. In 2014, South Australian Anthony Murdaca won at Royal Melbourne, Perth’s Curtis Luck came from seven behind in the final round to win in Korea in 2016, the same year he was US Amateur Champion, in 2022, NSW’s Harrison Crowe was successful, and in 202,3 Victorian Jasper Stubbs took the title.
Chinese players hold the record of five wins with Australia and Japan each winning four times.
The most recognisable figure to come from the event is Hideki Matsuyama, who won back-to-back in 2010 and 2011 and would go on to win the Masters and ten other PGA Tour and 8 Japan Tour events in his remarkable career to date.
Perhaps, however, one of the greatest stories to come from the event was the win of 14-year-old Tianlang Guan, who holed a sliding let to right 5 footer at the final hole in 2012 to defeat CT Pan in Thailand.
While that was remarkable in itself, less than six months later, Guan became the youngest ever golfer to make the cut in a major when, at the age of still 14, he made the weekend at the 2013 Masters despite a one-shot penalty for slow play.
The Asia Pacific Amateur Championship has, in its short 15 year history, developed into one of the top three amateur titles in world golf and the much coveted title and its significant benefits will be hard fought for in Dubai this weekend.
Players
Hannah Green finds late season form in Korea
Hannah Green – file photo USGA
Perth’s Hannah Green has bounced back from five missed cuts in her last six starts to finish tied for 5th at the LPGA Tour’s BMW Ladies Championship in Korea.
A final round of 66, included four birdies in her last five holes after beginning the day by playing her opening four holes in 4 under, allowing her to improve to her share of 5th place, albeit eight shots from the winner, Sei Young Kim.
Green moves to 50th in the Race to the CME Globe rankings, a return to defend her title in the event, along with considerable work on her game, including on her attitude, assisting her to her second-best finish of the 2025 season.
“Yeah, obviously it has been a while since I’ve had this form,” said Green.
“So it’s nice to see what I’ve been working on is actually paying off. Yeah, definitely, I think the team at home helped with the mental reset, just not getting too ahead of myself and not thinking too much about the future. Yeah, I am really pleased with today’s round.
“I think throughout the season I was searching to see what I was doing wrong, and instead of — usually at our level, we are always repeating, it might be just a little tweak here and there. I think because I wasn’t having the results, I was just trying to search, and it really wasn’t that complicated. I was just making it tougher for myself.
“Having a week off with no golf is really helpful at home, and being able to see my coach, I think we both agreed we were searching a little bit too much. Just going back to basics, nothing out of the ordinary. I got off to a heater. So it was nice to finish strong with three birdies to end.
Minjee Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou were the next best of the Australians when they tied for 10th while Robyn Choi was the next best in a share of 16th place.
Leaderboard
Race to the CME Globe
Rare win by South African on PGA Tour of Australasia
Oliver Bekker with a long-awaited trophy – image Australian Golf Media
South African Oliver Bekker, who has missed the cut in his last eight tournament starts, has today won the WA Open at the Mt Lawley Golf Club to potentially resurrect a career that had appeared to be going nowhere.
Currently ranked outside the top 1000 in the world ranking, after being close to the top 100 two years ago, Bekker came from one behind the lead through 54 holes to record a final round of 69 to win by one over Victorian Cameron John with South Australian Lachlan Barker, Victorian Marc Leishman and NSW’s Nathan Barbieri sharing third place at 5 under and two from the winner.
Bekker has won several events on the South African Sunshine Tour over the years, but in more recent times, it has been a struggle, and by gaining an invite to play this week’s event, he has taken full advantage and perhaps saved his golfing future.
The victory will give him at least two full years on the OGA Tour of Australasia, and with the possibility of a move to Perth in the future, the win is both timely and potentially career and life-changing.
“This comes so far out of left field,” Bekker told the PGA Tour of Australasia. “I’ve missed the last six or seven cuts in a row, but I said to my wife, I feel like [my game’s close and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m playing well one week. This was the week, apparently.
“This golf course is so unforgiving. You’ve got to play such conservative golf, even with wedges in hand from the middle of the fairway. It was a grind and I’m glad I could stick it out.”
“Let me tell you, there were some things that happened that I’ve never seen in my life,” added Bekker, referring, in the main, to a near-disaster at the final hole which turned into a remarkable par save to set the mark for those playing behind. “So yeah, it was interesting.”
The last Australian to win on the PGA Tour of Australasia is likely to have been the 2008 Australian Open winner, Tim Clark, mainly due to their Sunshine Tour events clashing with those in this country.
After four events on the 2025/2026 PGA Tour of Australasia schedule, Bekker has moved into 4th place behind the new leader, Nathan Barbieri of NSW.
The next event on the schedule is the Webex Player Series South Australia event at the Willunga Golf Club beginning on Thursday, 23rd.
Results
New Zealanders lead the way in Perth
Mako Thompson leads by one at the halfway stage – image Australian golf Media
27-year-old New Zealand PGA Tour of Australasia rookie Mako Thompson has the halfway lead at the West Australian Open at the MT Lawley Golf Club in Perth, consecutive rounds of 68 leaving him one shot ahead of his fellow New Zealander Jared Edwards.
Thompson gained his first PGA Tour of Australasia card at the Q School earlier this year and is playing his fourth event of the 2025/2026 schedule, having made a cheque in each of his starts to date.
After a solid opening round on Thursday, Thompson made a fast start today with three birdies in his first four holes, but the Maraenui Golf Club (Napier) member dropped shots leading to the turn, before an impressive back nine for one of his limited experience at this level.
“I got off to a nice start,” said Thompson. “I took advantage of the no wind and the softer greens, so it was a nice way to kickstart the day
“I’ve got off to a good start this season. Managed to just scrape through Q School, so really pleased with how I’ve started so far.”
In three starts to date this season, Edwards has recorded one top ten when 8th at the PNG Open in August after earning his playing rights by finishing 17th at the tour school earlier in the year.
In third place and two from the lead is West Australian Hadyn Barron, who is a former Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour of Austrasia and who finished runner-up in this very event as an amateur five years ago.
Queenslander Anthony Quayle, Victorian Cameron John and tournament invite Marc Leishman are at 5 under and three off the lead and present a huge danger to those ahead of them over the final 36 holes.
Leaderboard
Austin Bautista reverses 2021 result with WAPGA victory
Austin Bautista – image Australian Golf Media
A 28-year-old New South Welshman, Austin Bautista, has reversed the result of four years earlier, coming from behind to win the WAPGA Championship at the Kalgoorlie Golf Course in Western Australia.
In 2021, it was NSW’s Jay Mackenzie who defeated Bautista by two shots, and in the early stages of today’s final round over the spectacular Graham Marsh-designed layout in the gold mining town some 600 kilometres east of Perth, it appeared Mackenzie was well on track to win again.
Mackenzie took a two-shot lead into the final round, moved four ahead early in his round, and was still ahead by two through 10 holes. Bautista, however, who has experienced success both internationally and at home, found a way to wear down his good friend Mackenzie and take the title with a birdie at the 72nd hole, winning by one.
Bautista is now in second position on the Order of Merit on the Sunshine Tour (South Africa), having won and finished runner-up there in 2025, and so despite being 578th in the world ranking, he arrived in Kalgoorlie as one of the more credentialed players in the field.
Mackenzie led from halfway through his second round of 64 and was not headed until he bogeyed the 72nd hole, where he narrowly missed a 15-foot putt only to watch his opponent hole from 8 feet for birdie to take the title by one.
Queensland’s Will Florimo finished alone in 3rd position, three shots from second place.
Bautista moves to 3rd place on the 2025/2026 PGA Tour of Australasian Order of Merit while Mackenzie, having played all three of the events thus far, is in 4th position.
Corey Crawford still leads the Order of Merit, having won the opening event of the season in Papua New Guinea.
Australia runner-up in Eisenhower behind South Africa
NSW Declan O’Donovan – finished runner-up in the Individual Race – image IGF
The Australian team of Declan O’Donovan, Billy Dowling and Harry Takis has finished in second position at the Eisenhower Trophy, eight shots from the runaway leaders, South Africa, at the Tanah Merah Country Club in Singapore.
The Australians were able to close the gap on South Africa in the final round after trailing by eleven through 54 holes, but the result was never in doubt, South Africa’s Christiaan Mass winning the individual title by ten shots over NSW golfer Declan O’Donovan.
For Australia, it was their best finish in the event since winning in 2016. They did finish second in 2023, although on that occasion they were tied for the runner-up position.
In 33 appearances, the Australians have won 15 medals, the most of any country outside of the USA. With its silver on Saturday, Australia now owns four gold, five silver and six bronze.
O’Donovan was the leading Australian, birdies at the final three holes of his final round, making a huge difference in terms of getting Australia into the runner-up position, two shots ahead of England.
Queensland’s Billy Dowing finished 29th in the race for individual honours while Brisbane’s Harry Takis finished 28th, his third round of 79 proving very costly in his quest for a higher finish.
New Zealand’s Zackary Swanwick was the best of their team, finishing tied for 11th in the individual race and assisting his side to a share of 14th place in the team title.
SCORING