Tomarata (New Zealand), Oct 29 (IANS) The strong winds and a rough layout at the Te Arai Links made it a difficult opening day for the Indian trio at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, with Ribhav Verma (79), Anshul Mishra (82) and Arkesh Bhatia (85) struggling in testing conditions at Te Arai Links’ South Course on Thursday.

With strong winds making club selection and shot-making difficult, the Indians have plenty of ground to recover in Friday’s second round if they are to stay in contention for a place beyond the halfway cut. The championship, one of the premier events in amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region, will see the top 60 players and ties advance after 36 holes.

Even as many of the young golfers found the conditions tough, defending champion Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand produced a remarkable display of control and scoring to open with an eight-under 63 and establish a three-shot lead over New Zealand’s Joshua Bai.

Laopakdee, who made history last year by becoming the first Thai golfer to win the championship, showed that he had lost none of his confidence since his breakthrough victory in Dubai. The Arizona State University senior went on to play in the Masters and The Open earlier this year and returned to New Zealand determined to defend his title. “Couldn't ask for a better way to start the round,” Laopakdee said. “Before it started, I knew it was going to be windy out there, and it was going to be tough. Eight under wasn't on my bingo card today, but I was able to pull it off, and it feels amazing,” he said.

The 21-year-old's round gathered momentum at the ninth hole, where he holed out from 83 yards for an eagle on the par-four. The spectacular shot helped him turn in 31 after starting steadily at two-under through eight holes.

Laopakdee continued to attack when opportunities presented themselves, adding birdies at the 10th, 13th, 15th and 16th to reach the par-five 18th just one shot short of the championship's 18-hole record of 62. Despite finding trouble with his approach, he recovered to make par and sign for a stunning 63.

Bai, a 20-year-old from Auckland and a junior at the University of Florida, carded a five-under 66 to emerge as his closest challenger. The 2026 North & South Amateur champion combined six birdies with a bogey to finish three shots behind the leader.

The home contingent also made a strong start, with Ryan Xie and Cooper Moore signing for four-under 67s. Japan's Kaito Sato was another shot back at three-under 68, while Yuki Miya, Australia's Kayun Mudadana, Malaysia's Nateesh Ganesh, China's Qiyou Wu and Hong Kong, China's 14-year-old Joseph Cao were among those at two-under.

For the Indians, however, the immediate priority will be to produce a substantial improvement on Friday. Verma, Mishra and Bhatia will need to negotiate Te Arai's demanding layout with greater consistency, manage the wind more effectively and avoid costly mistakes.

With the cut looming after the second round, the challenge is not merely to find lower scores but to remain patient on a course where the conditions can quickly punish even minor errors. The Indians will need a determined response to keep their championship hopes alive.

--IANS

bsk/