By Joy Chakravarty
Japan’s Taishi Moto was thankful for his first hole-in-one in competitive golf. What made it even better was that he did not have to putt on that hole.
Of the various challenges the 35-mile-per-hour wind at Te Arai Links is testing the region’s 120 elite players with at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), it’s putting that is most significantly affected.
Moto, who moved up the leaderboard after his round of even-par 71, said: “I couldn't make any putts because it was super windy out there so the hole-in-one definitely helped a lot.
“It was super difficult on the greens. Like ridiculous. My ball was moving. My body was moving.”
Leader and defending champion Fifa Laopakdee, of Thailand, wielded a hot putter in Thursday’s opening round 63 but needed every bit of his fighting skills for a 72 on Friday. That included several missed birdie putts on the back nine and two frustrating three-putts from short distance.
Laopakdee explained: “I had a five‑footer two holes in a row and the ball just snapped 90 degrees. I aimed a foot left from five feet and it went like three feet right. It’s pretty tricky. Overall, it was a grind out there and I would take 7‑under for the first two rounds.”
Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand putts on the No. 5 green during the first round of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
2026 AAC
It’s not as if these players are not used to windy conditions. It takes a huge amount of skill to hit shots that are not hijacked by the breeze but it can be done. Low ball flight and low spin usually help along with slight adjustments in the posture and set-up.
However, making similar adjustments with the putting stroke hasn’t been perfected yet. The only constant advice you get from the experts is to have a wider set-up for better balance. Even that wasn’t helping on Thursday.
The wind gust was so strong it threw a gentleman with the build of a rugby forward off-balance near the scoring area. Imagine the effect it was having on a 1.62-ounce golf ball (45.93 grams).
Players had to move off their stance several times as they made sure the ball was stationary on the greens. Slopes and speed were exaggerated and uphill putts became faster than downhill ones.
“I’ve putted in wind like this but when the greens are this firm and tight it’s hard to place the ball on green without it even moving a little bit. I’m not used to the firmness and tightness of the greens adding on to the wind. But the conditions right now are pretty tough,” said Filipino Jaden Dumdumaya, who grew up playing golf in California.
"Standing over putts, you could see the ball shaking."
“Definitely putting is the one that is most affected. Standing over putts, you could see the ball shaking. There have been a couple instances where I had to replace my ball because it rolled all the way from the mark,” said the world No. 67.
“I definitely think putting is the toughest part out here. You are unable to trust your line and trust your stroke. There were a couple of times when I was about to hit the ball but my putter moved because the wind pushed it out of the way. Things like that make it pretty tough out here.”
