Swanwick Spearheads Kiwi Hopes

Auckland, New Zealand: Zack Swanwick fired a second successive four-under-par 67 to soar to the top of leaderboard after the third round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC).

Bidding to become the first New Zealander to win the region’s premier amateur championship, 20-year-old Swanwick once again delighted the home galleries at Te Arai Links’ South Course.

Heading into Sunday’s final round, Swanwick is tantalisingly poised to claim victory and, with it, starting spots in the Masters Tournament and Open Championship in 2027.

With a 54-hole total of seven-under-par 206, Swanwick is two shots ahead of compatriot Cooper Moore and Thailand’s Pongsapak ‘Fifa’ Laopakdee, the defending champion.

The only other player in red figures is Japan’s Kaito Sato at three-under 210.

There is then a three-shot gap back to New Zealanders Joshua Bai and Zach May and Australian Harry Takis in a share of fifth place.

Alone in eighth on 214 is China’s Li Zhi who rose 17 spots thanks to a five-under 66, the best round of a fascinating day three on which fortunes fluctuated.

Four-over through 15 holes on day one, Swanwick has turned things around brilliantly. Over the last 39 holes he’s 11-under.

Four shots behind pace-setting Fifa in fourth place at the half-way stage, Swanwick produced another mature performance, a solitary bogey at the short eighth offset by five birdies, including a 10-footer on 18 that enabled him to stretch his advantage to two shots.

In the final flight behind him, Moore compiled an even-par 71, highlighted by a tap-in birdie at the short 17th, while Fifa’s putter turned cold as he returned a two-over 73.

Nonetheless, Fifa will still fancy his chances of coming from behind as he did at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai last year when he overturned a six-stroke deficit before prevailing in a sudden-death play-off.

If he manages to do that he’ll be just the second player to retain the title, following Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (2010 and 2011). He’d also join Matsuyama and China’s Lin Yuxin (2017 and 2019) as just the third player to win the AAC twice.

For the second day in a row, there was a hole-in-one at the par-three eighth.

Japan’s Taishi Moto achieved the feat on Friday and Chinese Taipei’s Li Xu emulated him in round three, courtesy of a sweetly-struck pitching wedge.

The 10th ace in AAC history was especially timely for Li who had run-up a triple-bogey eight at the long seventh. He eventually signed for a 75 and sits in a tie for 48th position on 230.