By Joy Chakravarty
Of the four New Zealand players in the top five of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) after the third round, none matched the incredible highs and lows of Joshua Bai.
The 20-year-old Aucklander faced the full fury of golf’s fickleness, as he started the third round with not one, not two, but three consecutive lip-out bogeys in his first three holes.
And then, just when it looked like he had completely taken himself out of the equation – he was three over for the day after 12 holes and had fallen out of the top 20 – the Florida Gators senior shifted straight into top gear from reverse and made five birdies in the last six holes.
That resulted in a tidy two-under 69 round, lifting him to T-5 at even-par 213, seven shots behind fellow Kiwi Zack Swanwick.
Harry Takis of Australia speaks with Joshua Bai of New Zealand on the No. 5 fairway
2026 AAC
The turnaround has allowed Bai to dream a bit.
In last year’s AAC in Dubai, Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee overcame a six-shot deficit on Sunday to win the title.
“That was a bit of an up-and-down round. At least it was up at the end, which will make me sleep better tonight and make dinner taste better,” said Bai.
“I just got off to a rough start. I didn’t hit a single horrible shot out there, and yet collected a few bogeys. It’s just tricky out here and those bogeys can add up quickly, especially with that wind.”
The start had Bai befuddled.
“Hole 1, hit my tee shot down the middle. Hit a 4‑iron that came up 10 feet short of the green and wasn’t able to get that down. Left it a few feet short and just lipped‑out. Didn’t really hit any bad shots at all,” said Bai, who is making his fifth AAC start and has never missed a cut.
“No. 2 was the same story. On the fairway and the breeze was really strong. I was trying to chip a 5‑iron up there. Ended up just short of the green again and wasn’t able to get that down in two. Hard lip‑out.
“On No. 3, hit it a little short left. It was about 40 feet away, downhill and downwind. Got a little scared. But hit it to about four feet and lipped out again.”
Bai knew there were some scorable holes up ahead, but finishing with five birdies in his last six holes exceeded his expectations.
“That was a pretty brutal start. That put me so far out of the tournament at that point. But I knew there were holes I could score on. I just tried to keep my head down, stay in the game and tried not to give up,” Bai added.
"I just tried to keep my head down, stay in the game and tried not to give up."
“Those last six are the most scorable six holes on the golf course, especially with the wind. And yeah, just tried to be opportunistic. Try to hit good shots and see if I can catch those birdie putts and I did. I kept hitting some good shots and rolled in a couple of good putts.”
One of the best birdies of the day, according to Bai, was on the par-3 15th hole, where he made a 25-footer putt. And his best shot of the day was the second on the 18th, where he struck a three-iron to 20 feet and two-putted for birdie.
“For sure, the finish makes me more optimistic about my chances. Zach (fellow member of the Florida Gators team) will be hard to beat, but I am happy to be in this position after a start like that,” said Bai.
“It’s awesome to see all my (New Zealand) friends playing well and doing well in this tournament. I am definitely pumped for these guys. Very excited to see who will come out on top tomorrow.”
