Ballyliffin, Ireland: Chinese Taipei’s Kent Hsiao has continued his record-breaking run at The 129th Amateur Championship.
By finishing tied 21st in stroke play following two rounds of 72 at Ballyliffin, Hsiao became the first player from his country to qualify for the match play phase of the Championship that was inaugurated in 1885.
“That’s cool. I actually didn’t know that. I’m really honoured,” said Hsiao, who added to that historic achievement by winning his Round of 64 contest in the match play phase.
After a topsy-turvy duel, US-based Hsiao, making his first trip to Europe, emerged victorious, edging past Frenchman Gaspar Glaudas at the 21st hole on Wednesday.
In Thursday morning’s Round of 32, Hsiao, 540th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), will take on England’s Dominic Clemons, 310th in the standings.
With the elimination of reigning Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner Jasper Stubbs and fellow-Australian Declan O’Donovan in the opening round of match play, Hsiao is the only Asia-Pacific representative to make it through to the final 32.
“I’ll just go out there tomorrow and try to do the same thing and we’ll see what happens,” said Hsiao, who appeared to be coasting home against Glaudas only to see his four-hole advantage with just five holes remaining evaporate.
He said: “It was quite a match out there. He made a couple of birdies coming in on some pretty difficult holes and I had a couple of bad breaks on 16 and 17, so the match was tied. It went to extra holes and I had to grind it out.”
After squaring two holes in the sudden-death play-off, Hsiao prevailed with a textbook birdie at the 21st hole.
“I hit a three-wood off the tee and was trying to keep it short of the two bunkers. I smoked it so it went pretty much over the bunkers. But it was down the middle, so it was fine,” said Hsiao, whose approach shot from 95 yards came to rest seven feet past the cup. “It was a pretty straight putt. I just rolled it nice and it went in,” he said.
For Stubbs and O’Donovan, their hopes of becoming the first Australian winner of The Amateur Championship since Bryden Macpherson in 2011 were ended abruptly.
O’Donovan, 780th in the WAGR, led for much of his contest with Welshman Tomi Bowen only to lose the final four holes to slip to defeat, two-down.
Meanwhile, English teenager Oscar Lent was too strong for Stubbs, winning 6&5 against the Australian whose AAC triumph has earned him an exemption into next month’s 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The winner of Saturday’s 36-hole final will secure exemptions into The 152nd Open, the US Open, and, by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament.
The first Amateur Championship was held at Hoylake in 1885 where 44 players from 12 clubs competed. Some of golf’s greatest names have triumphed in the event, including Bobby Jones, José María Olazábal and Sergio Garcia.
The final two days will be broadcast live on R&A TV.
