If Taisei Nagasaki had won, he probably would have bowed out.
He did so on Saturday, after his third round at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, where the Japanese 16-year-old was rolling. After an eight-birdie 65 at the Emirates Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates, Nagasaki had opened a five-shot lead, and had he stayed at the top of the leaderboard for just one more round, he would be playing in the Masters and the Open Championship next year. He was still a few years away from returning home to ride – but dreams of hitting tee balls next to Rory, Scottie and Hideki were close.
However, Sunday’s final lap was rocky. Nagasaki bogeyed six of his first 15 holes before making birdies at 16 and 17, and he led Fifa Laopakdee by just one stroke at the par-5 18th. And there Laopakdee made a birdie, while Nagasaki parried.
On hole one of the playoffs, back at hole 18, every player made a birdie. On the second playoff hole, at the drivable par-4 17th, every player made another birdie. You would expect that kind of game from Nagasaki. Earlier this year he was co-medalist at the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan, and runner-up at the Japan Amateur Championship. Last year he won his age division at the Japan Junior Championship and finished second in his age division at the Junior World Championships in San Diego.
On Sunday, on the third playoff hole, Nagasaki was right of the green with 18 in two, but his third shot came about 50 feet short of the hole and he finished with a par. And Laopakdee made a birdie. And he was your winner.
Then, during the ESPN broadcast, Nagasaki became emotional during an interview near the 18th green. Announcer Steve Burkowski asked him how he would describe his emotions after Sunday’s play. Through an interpreter, he said he was disappointed in himself, before wiping away tears with his polo shirt. Burkowski then asked about Nagasaki’s thoughts as he fought back in regulation, and he reiterated that he was disappointed.
But Nagasaki also bowed again.
On Sunday, with Laopakdee winning and Nagasaki falling just short, Nagasaki bent over at the waist, then put his white hat back on and walked away. In Japanese culture, the act is considered a sign of respect. You may remember Hideki Matsuyama’s caddie, Shota Hayafuji, taking a bow on the 18th green at Augusta National after Matsuyama won the 2021 Masters.
“I chose the course mainly because I was grateful. I didn’t think about doing it and it just happened – like an instinct,” Hayafuji later told GOLF’s Dylan Dethier.
Below is a video of Nagasaki’s moment captured by the Asia-Pacific Amateur social media team.
During the ESPN broadcast, announcer Rich Lerner said he believed Nagasaki would return soon. In an interview with reporters, Nagasaki said something similar. Sunday was difficult, he said. But he hoped he would come back.
“When I think about big stages like the Masters and the Open,” he said, “I still get nervous and feel like I’m not mentally strong enough yet.
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