Teen Prodigy Anshul Mishra Eyes Top-10 Finish in Dubai's Premier Amateur Golf Event

Mishra was eight shots behind the leading trio of Rintaro Nakano (67-66), Khanh Hung Le of Vietnam (66-67), and Australia’s Harry Takis (67-66). They were all 11-under at the Majilis Course at the Emirates Golf Club. Japan’s Taisei Nagasaki (67-67) was third at 10-under with Australian Harry Takis, who had two more holes to play. Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee (66-69) was fifth at 9-under.

Mishra, who turned 17 just three days ago, was the top Indian at the halfway mark as four of the five Indians who started the week made the cut. Mishra, who was trying to keep bogeys off his card, did have one on the 16th after starting from the tenth. He was, however, pleased that he picked three of his four birdies on Par-5s.

“In the first round I was 1-over for the Par-5s, but today was good,” said Mishra.

The other Indians who made the cut were Raghav Gulati (73-70) at T-19, Rakshit Dahiya (72-72) at T-23, and Ranveer Mitroo (74-71) at T-28. Overall, it was a good day for the Indians as three of the players, Anshul Mishra, Raghav Gulati, and Ranveer Mitroo, shot under par, and Rakshit Dahiya carded par. Only Harman Sachdeva went over par.

Dubai-based Gulati, who has played this course many times, added 2-under 70 with an eagle and three birdies against three bogeys as he recovered from his first round 73. His three bogeys came between the 11th and the 15th, a stretch that also included a birdie on the 12th and an eagle on the 13th.

Dahiya, the top WAGR-ranked player in the Indian contingent, carded a second straight 72. He had two birdies, two bogeys, and a lot of missed chances despite finding most of the greens in regulation. Ranveer Mitroo had four birdies against three bogeys, while Harman Sachdeva (79-73) at 8-over missed the cut by two shots.

Mishra said, “My main goal was not to drop any shots. I would have liked to have a bogey-free round, but I ended with one bogey. But I'll take it. Hopefully, I can make a few more birdies on both nines, and I will carry the same attitude as today.”

On his being close to the Top-10, he added, “It's definitely going to be on my mind right now that I have a good chance to finish really well, but I'm not going to be thinking about that over the next two days. I just want to take it one hole at a time and one shot at a time and just stick to my process.”

Co-leaders Japan’s Nakano (66) and Vietnam’s Khanh Hung Le (67) had an excellent day.

Nakano is playing his third AAC. In 2024 at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan, he held the lead after 36 holes before finishing two strokes behind Wenyi Ding in third place. Earlier this year, he finished T-8 as an individual in the Eisenhower Trophy in Singapore. In 2023, he won the Japan Amateur Championship to join the list of winners that includes Asia-Pacific Amateur champions Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima.

Le is playing his second AAC in 2025. Earlier this year, the University of Illinois commit won the Juan Sebastian Munoz Cup in Colombia and finished runner-up in the Vietnam Junior Open. In 2024, he finished T-11 in the Junior Players Championship in Florida and was a member of the International team in the Junior Presidents Cup in Canada. He was T-24 in the 2023 AAC. This year, Takis won the Singapore Open Amateur by 11 strokes.

- IANS