▲ Son Je-i's iron shot
Son Je-i (Dongnae High School affiliated Broadcasting & Communication High School) and Jung Eui-seok (Cheonan Jungang Broadcasting & Communication High School) got off to a mid-to-upper-tier start on the first day of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) golf tournament.
Son carded an even-par 71 in the first round of the tournament held on October 29 at the Te Arai Links South Course (par 71) in Auckland, New Zealand, mixing six birdies with three bogeys and one triple bogey.
Jung also posted an even-par 71, trading five birdies for five bogeys.
The two tied for 18th place, eight strokes behind defending champion Phatchara Khongwatmai (Thailand, 8-under 63), who surged to the top with a stellar performance.
Defending champion Khongwatmai took a promising first step toward consecutive titles, limiting his score to one eagle and seven birdies against a single bogey.
Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), who claimed the throne from 2010 to 2011, remains the only player to win the tournament in back-to-back years.
Leveraging home-country advantage, New Zealand placed five players in the top 10.
Son Je-i, the top-ranked amateur by the Korea Golf Association, faltered as he failed to adapt to unfamiliar, fierce gusts of wind.
Starting on the 10th hole (par 4), Son had an unstable start with a bogey, but quickly bounced back with a birdie on the 11th hole (par 4) and picked up another birdie on the 13th hole (par 5) to overcome the crisis.
Son recorded back-to-back birdies on holes 16 and 17 to shave three strokes off his score on the front nine, briefly climbing to third place.
However, Son struggled with sudden, fierce gusts on the back nine and dropped strokes.
After making his second bogey on the 3rd hole (par 4), Son faced a major setback on the 5th hole (par 3). As gusts of wind shook his body during his tee shot, he hit a shank—striking the ball off the hosel where the clubhead connects to the shaft—leading to a triple bogey.
Having lost three strokes in an instant, Son seemed to revive himself with consecutive birdies on holes 6 and 7, but he dropped another stroke with a bogey on the 8th hole (par 4), finishing the opening day at even par.
Jung Eui-seok also shaved two strokes off his score on the front nine, but gave two strokes back on the back nine to stay even.
After finishing the first round, Son said, "My shot feeling was good on the front nine so I posted a good score, but fierce gusts swept in on the back nine, and mistakes happened as I tried to fight the wind. Especially on the 5th hole, the wind shook my body, causing me to shank the ball for the first time in about five years."
He added, "The wind was on a completely different level from the wind in Korea. It was strong enough to move the ball on its own. The putts also rode the tailwind and traveled farther than intended, giving me a hard time."
Son explained, "I believe that if I can just zero in on my shots tomorrow, I can build on today's experience to lower my score and make a run for the championship. Tomorrow, I must avoid shooting over par on the front nine at all costs. If my ranking slips further back, I will attack the course more aggressively."
Excluding Son Je-i and Jung Eui-seok, the remaining five South Korean players all struggled and finished over par.
Cheon Ji-yul (Shinseong Middle School) tied for 25th at 1-over 72, while Yoo Min-hyuk (Seogang High School) grabbed five birdies but collapsed with six bogeys and one double bogey to card a 3-over 74, slipping to a tie for 40th alongside overseas-based Kang Geon.
In addition, overseas-based players Lee Yong-jae (12-over 83) and Park Si-young (18-over 89) languished in ties for 92nd and 115th, respectively, turning on red lights for their chances of making the cut.
(Photo: Provided by AAC Organizing Committee, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.