Taiga Steers Japan into Commanding Position in Paris

Paris, France: Taiga Semikawa led Japan to a record 36-hole score of 264 at the 32nd World Amateur Team Championship at Le Golf National.

The 21-year-old college student, who is 18th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), followed up his Eisenhower Trophy record-tying first-round 63 with a six-under-par 65.

“I think those experiences in Japan, playing in the national amateur and some of those professional events massively helps my confidence and performance,” said Semikawa, who sits atop the individual standings on 15-under-par. “I am still surprised by my performance on this world stage. I am literally surprised,” he said.

WAGR number one Keita Nakajima, playing in his final tournament as an amateur, added a 69 for Japan’s second-round 134. With only the two best daily scores counting, Kohei Okada’s 70 was not required.

Japan’s team score of 264 gave them a five-stroke lead from Italy at the half-way point and breaks the 36-hole mark of 266 that was set by the United States in 2012 in Turkey en route to their gold medal.

Japan Captain Gareth Jones said: “The whole thing is three players. We don’t fuss with who’s on the leaderboard out of the three players.

“Yesterday, our worst score was even-par and today our worst score was one-under par. They are all playing great, and we know that three scores are important. I know they are enjoying being part of a team this week and they’ll remember this experience for a long time.”

Reflecting on the differences between the two courses being used, Jones added: “They are two very different golf courses. Yesterday was tighter and we had an aggressive game plan. These boys are hitting it so far and so straight and we’ll just keep having a rip at it. This golf course (Le Golf National) is much bigger and wider with some water, which we found a couple of times. They are just pushing each other along.”

Of the other participants from Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation member countries, the Austrian trio of Hayden Hopewell, Connor McKinney and Harrison Crowe are tied for seventh on 276 followed by Singapore (tied 14th, 279), Hong Kong (tied 19th, 282), New Zealand (28th, 286), India and Korea (tied 32nd, 288), China (tied 35th, 290), Thailand (tied 38th, 292), Chinese Taipei (tied 42nd, 295), Philippines (tied 47th, 297), Saudi Arabia (59th, 307), United Arab Emirates (63rd, 311), Qatar (67th, 318), Pakistan (68th, 321), Bahrain (69th, 329), Guam (70th, 331), Lebanon (71st, 340).

In the individual standings, Semikawa has a 36-hole total of 15-under 128 – four strokes in front of Italian Filippo Celli and Spaniard David Puig in joint second spot.

Okada is tied for 11th on 137 while among other APGC representatives in red figures at the half-way stage are McKinney (tied 17th, 138), and Crowe and Korean Song Min-hyuk (tied 23rd, 139).

Among those in equal 30th on two-under 141 are Nakajima, Singaporean duo Ryan Ang and Hiroshi Tai, China’s Ding Wenyi, the US Junior Amateur champion, and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, runner-up to Nakajima at last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.