Kartik best Indian at 18th place as China’s Wenyi Ding wins AAC crown  

Wenyi Ding with the AAC Trophy at the Taiheiyo Golf Club in Gotemba, Japan. 

Khel Today Bureau

GOTEMBA, Japan: Fourteen year old Kartik Singh, finished 19^th and was the best Indian at the 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. The teen star played 27 holes on Sunday. He parred all nine holes on the back nine of the third hole and then had four birdies and four bogeys in his final round. He shot rounds of 71-67-72-70 for an even par 280.

Two Indians, who made the cut, also played well in the final round. Krishnav Nikhil Chopraa (68-77-74-67) shot his best round of 3-under 67 and Rakshit Dahiya carded an even par 70 for the second straight round. The duo  finished 6-over and were Tied-37^th.

All of them had to lay between 27 and 30 holes on the final day.

Kartik said, “I parred the entire back nine of the third round, where I began bogey-bogey and then had 16 pars. In the fourth, my driver did not work well but I was saved by my short game. Still, it was a great experience on a great golf course.”

China’s Wenyi Ding won the 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship after a final-round 67, his fourth consecutive 67 at the par-70 Taiheiyo Club Gotemba. But his 12-under total for a win which gives him exemption into the 2025 Masters and the 2025 Open, saw him face a major dilemma.

Before the event, he had said he would turn pro even if he won the event, but once the emotional win had been achieved he seemed to be wavering. He said, “It is now a problem. I want to turn pro because I can get a DP World Tour card, but this is a big chance.”

He will soon need to take that call, though before the event he maintained he would become a pro and even forfeit the two major exemptions.

Ding is set to get a card from the DPWT because of a newly instituted Global Amateur Pathway (GAP) by the DPWT.

This June the DPWT announced the GAP by which the highest ranked eligible male player will receive the first-ever DPWT Tour Card under the programme. The player should not be a current NCAA Division I (US) college golf player and be 20 years at the end of the ranking year. Ding at No.5 is the highest eligible player and turns 20 next month.

Ding finished at 12-under, while fellow Chinese Ziqin Zhou battled him hard and finished at 11-under. They even briefly shared the lead.

“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.”

As well as claiming the AAC trophy with his victory, Ding secured an exemption to the Masters Tournament, The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush and The 130th Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s.