KUALA LUMPUR: Up-and-coming golfer Rizq Adam Rohizam secured a commendable top-10 finish in his second appearance at the prestigious Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) in Japan on Sunday.
The 18-year-old carded a solid even-par 70 in the final round at the Taiheiyo Club's Gotemba Course on Sunday, tying for eighth place in the 120-player field.
Rizq's balanced performance included three birdies and three bogeys, resulting in a four-day total of four-under 276, eight strokes behind champion Ding Wen Yi of China.
His eighth-place finish narrowly missed matching the best-ever result by a Malaysian in the tournament.
The current record stands at seventh place, achieved by Marcus Lim in Australia last year, Ervin Chang in Singapore in 2018 and Iszaimi Ismail in China in 2009.
Rizq reached the halfway point in joint fourth, just two shots off the lead, with impressive rounds of 67 and 68.
"It could have been gone better the last two days, of course. But for my second time at the AAC, I'll take it as a learning experience and hopefully get another chance next year," said Rizq, who missed the cut in his debut in UAE in 2021.
Following the tournament, Rizq will return to the United States to continue his freshman year at Missouri University of Science & Technology.
Anson Yeo, the only other Malaysian to make the cut, struggled with a final-round 75, finishing tied for 47th at 11-over 291.