David Micheluzzi holed his final approach for a closing eagle to finish off a 6-under 64 and take a one-shot lead at the Asian-Pacific Amateur Championship.
Micheluzzi, the 13th-ranked amateur in the world who hails from Australia, carved up Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore in his first appearance in the championship. He holds a slim lead over three players, including 2015 winner Jin Cheng from China.
“I have been working on my pitching the last couple weeks, and it was just a perfect shot,” Micheluzzi said of his pitching wedge on No. 18. “Obviously it is just the first round of the tournament, but it is always good to be up in the lead.”
Australia’s Min Woo Lee is among a group of players tied for fifth, two shots back after shooting rounds of 4-under 66 in the opening round on the Tanjong Course.
This is the 10th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, with the winner receiving an invitation to the 2019 Masters and The Open next summer at Royal Portrush. The runner-up and all players tied for second will receive spots in the Open Qualifying Series. Past champions include Hideki Matsuyama (2010 and 2011), Guan Tianlang (2012) and Curtis Luck (2016).
