Sandwich, Kent, England: Indian Rakshit Dahiya and Bonallack Trophy team-mates Nguyen Anh Minh and Rintaro Nakano were quickly into their stride at The 130th Amateur Championship.
Taking advantage of the pristine early conditions on the sunny Sandwich Bay coastline, Vietnam’s Anh Minh and Japanese Nakano both carded two-under-par 68s at 15-time Open Championship venue Royal St George’s.
That left them in a share of 32nd place and well placed to qualify for the match play segment of one of amateur golf’s most prestigious championships. From the starting field of 288, the top-64 following Tuesday’s second round of stroke play will progress to the match play phase.
Of the 17 players from the Asia-Pacific region in the starting line-up, the best opening-day performance came from Dahiya who posted a three-under 67 at Royal St George’s.
Others who will be hopeful of advancing are the Australian quartet of Kayun Mudadana, Billy Dowling, Declan O’Donovan and Max Moring.
Mudadana and Dowling are equal 32nd after two-under 70s at Royal Cinque Ports, with O’Donovan one stroke back in joint 61st and Moring among a large group on even-par in 91st spot.
Needing to improve on their first-round efforts if they’re to progress are Australians Liam McEvoy (one-over) and Coby Carruthers (two-over), China’s Zhou Ziqin (three-over) and Singaporean Brayden Lee (four-over).
The 18-year-old Dahiya, the fourth highest rated Indian in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) in 396th place, continued his good recent form with a round that included six birdies against three bogeys.
Dahiya tied for 37th in the last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan and has won the last two domestic events in which he’s competed in India.
In January, Anh Minh and Nakano were members of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) team that defeated their European Golf Association rivals in the Ryder Cup-style Bonallack Trophy in the United Arab Emirates.
At Royal St George’s their 68s were achieved in contrasting fashion.
Anh Minh raced to three-under through four holes but then ran up three bogeys to reach the turn in even-par 35. He remained at even-par through 15 before a late flourish brought birdies at 16 and 17.
Nakano, meanwhile, made a double-bogey at the par-four fifth, leaving him at four-over. To his credit, the 21-year-old fought back brilliantly, covering the final 13 holes in six-under and without any further blemishes.
Leading the way on six-under are American Emil Riegger and England’s Kris Kim who posted 64s at Royal St Georges, and France’s Ugo Malcor, who fired a 66 at Royal Cinque Ports.
The Amateur Championship is one of the biggest championships in the world with the 2025 edition featuring 288 players from 45 countries including, for the first time, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, Romania and Vietnam.
The reward for the champion is a start in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush next month, the US Open in 2026 and, by tradition, an invitation to the Masters Tournament.
