Bo Jin Leads Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship by Two over Thai Star TK

Oklahoma State senior Bo Jin took the first-round lead at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.

Jin, whose brother, Cheng, won the AAC in 2015, opened with a 7-under 65 to grab a two-shot lead over James Leow and Ratchanon (TK) Chantananuwat at Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand.

Jin said that he nearly missed the event after his plane ticket was apparently canceled. He flew from Oklahoma to Los Angeles and then caught a late flight to Doha to arrive in time for one practice round.

This is a familiar spot for Jin, who was the halfway leader last year at the AAC. The winner of the prestigious amateur event receives an invitation into the 2023 Masters and Open Championship.

“It’s just the first round, so there is a long way to go,” Jin said, “but I am delighted with the start.”

At No. 12 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Chantananuwat is the highest-ranked player in the field. Earlier this year he became the youngest player to win a tour event sanctioned by the Official World Golf Ranking. The 15-year-old also competed in the inaugural LIV event as an amateur, and LIV boss Greg Norman recently hailed him as a future star.

“I’m pretty good at spotting talent,” Norman told the South China Morning Post, “and trust me, this kid has got it. If I can give him an opportunity to play golf, I’m going to give it to him.”    

Overall, 40 players broke par on a day of low scoring. The four-round event concludes Sunday.