Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho runner-up to Keita Nakajima at Asia-Pacific Amateur Championshi after play-off
- Second place comes after second play-off hole won by 2018 Asian Games gold medallist and world No 1 Keita Nakajima of Japan
- Nakajima follows Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship wins from Takumi Kanaya and 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama
Taichi Kho went all the way to a second play-off hole at the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Dubai on Saturday with his runner-up finish the best by a Hong Kong golfer at the prestigious tournament.
Kho was edged by Japan’s world No 1 amateur Keita Nakajima in that play-off after the pair could not be separated over four rounds and a first play-off hole at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club.
The pair had both parred the first play-off hole on the 18th before Kho hit the water with his drive as they played it again.
Nakajima birdied out to lift the title and become the first reigning world No 1 amateur to do so. The win gained him invites to next year’s Masters and British Open, while he also has an invitation to the US Open after winning the Mark H McCormack medal as the men’s top amateur.
The 2018 Asian Games gold medallist Nakajima finished joint second at the 2018 edition, which was won by his countryman Takumi Kanaya.