Keita Nakajima clinched the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in a thriller over Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho on the second play-off hole at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club on Saturday.
The No 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking shot a three-under-par 68 in the final round to match Kho, who carded a 64 in the third round and 65 in the next to finish on 14 under par.
The pair headed back to the 18th hole and at the second time of asking Kho found water with his second from a fairway bunker. Nakajima hit a superb drive, followed by a second to 20 feet and rolled it in to seal the victory with a birdie and become the third golfer from Japan to win the title.
The UAE’s sole representative in the last two rounds, Ahmad Skaik, could hold his head high after carding a level-par 71 on the final day.
The Emirati got off to a flyer, carding three birdies and a bogey in his opening four holes.
He hit back from a dropped shot on eight with another birdie on 10, but didn’t get the rub on the green with successive bogeys on 16 and 17, and settled for a four-over total of 288 and 42nd place, a more than respectable result after two months out with a number of injuries.
“I felt very good out there today, hitting good iron shots and making good putts,” he said.
“I’m pretty happy with my performance, I took it to the next level and hopefully I can keep it up.
“It is an honour for me to represent the country. I would like to inspire the ones coming up, my younger brother as well, so I hope I have been a decent role model this week.”
On his plans for the future, he added: “I’m planned to finish next semester and then maybe play six months to a year and hopefully turn professional if the time is right.”
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Looking for a new family pet? Here are the links to visit when it comes to adopting...
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PARA UAE - Protection of Animal Rights Association
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Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
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Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
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Dos
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- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1. |
United States |
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2. |
China |
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3. |
UAE |
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4. |
Japan |
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5 |
Norway |
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6. |
Canada |
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7. |
Singapore |
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8. |
Australia |
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9. |
Saudi Arabia |
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10. |
South Korea |


