Ibaraki, Japan: Three-time Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) participant Kaito Onishi added a three-under-par 67 to his opening 65 to take the half-way lead in the Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup.
Onishi, joint overnight leader with fellow-Japanese Hiroshi Iwata, began on hole 10 and toured the back nine in four-under with birdies on 10, 11, 15 and 18. He then reached 10-under for the tournament with a birdie on the third, before dropping shots on five and nine.
He has a two-shot lead, on eight under, over Japan's Yuki Inamori (64) and Rikuya Hoshino (67), and Australian Todd Sinnott (68).
On a rainy and windy day at Oarai Golf Club, Shugo Imahira, the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) Money List winner in 2018 and 2019, is one stroke further behind following a 69.
He’s a shot ahead of Japanese compatriot Yuta Katsuragawa, the current leader of the JGTO money list, who also came in with a 69.
Iwata slipped back with a 74 and is one-under for the tournament, which is jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and JGTO. It’s the first time the Asian Tour has visited Japan since 2019 because of the pandemic.
Onishi only turned professional last year after graduating from the University of Southern California, but has been quick to adjust to life in the play for pay game. Most noticeably he was fourth in the ISPS Handa Championship last month before impressing this week.
“I’m happy to be in the lead and I hope I have the momentum over the next two days,” said 23-year-old Onishi. "I need to focus on each shot and not think about my position. The goal is to win ... and I'm confident I can do that," added Onishi, who AAC appearances resulted in a tied 21st in Korea in 2016, tied for 15th in New Zealand in 2017 and missed the half-way cut in Singapore in 2018
Keita Nakajima, the reigning AAC champion, compiled a one-over 71 and is in a share of 15th place at two-under 138. Already a winner on the JGTO, Nakajima is this week seeking to retain the low amateur award he collected at last year’s Diamond Cup.
Currently, the only amateur ahead of him is New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori on 137.
Five other amateurs also made the cut. Japan’s Taiga Semikawa and Kosuke Suzuki and New Zealand’s Jimmy Hydes are among six players on even-par 140 in equal 29th, while Japanese duo Masato Sumiuchi and Taichiro Ideriha squeezed through to the weekend on the cut-off mark off 143.
Sinnott has been playing in Japan since winning the 2017 Leopalace21 Myanmar Open, an Asian Tour-JGTO co-sanctioned event, and is putting together one of his finest performances in Japan.
The Australian claimed the TPS Victoria in February for his first success on the PGA Tour of Australasia and his fine form has clearly remained.
“Today’s a tough day with the rain and wind,” said Sinnott, who placed third in the 2014 AAC at Royal Melbourne. “Honestly, I was just trying to stay patient and hang tough out there. I can’t even remember the round, very tired.”
Thais Sadom Kaewkanjana (68) and Prom Meesawat (69) are in a share of seventh on three-under along with Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa (67), New Zealander Ben Campbell (70) and American Berry Henson (71).
Sadom, winner of January’s SMBC Singapore Open, said: “Tough conditions today but I was able to give myself a lot of birdie opportunities. Everything was good for me. I’m happy to be in a good position right now. I need to play my best tomorrow and enjoy the game.”
Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the JGTO, the ¥100 million event is hosted by the Japan Golf Association (JGA) in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), Kansai TV and Mitsubishi Corporation.
Courtesy of The R&A, this week’s winner will be rewarded with an exemption into July’s 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.
This is the 11th occasion that the Diamond Cup has been held at Oarai Golf Club, but the first occasion since 2013 when two-time AAC winner Hideki Matsuyama claimed the title, a matter of months after turning professional.
