Taisei Nagasaki, had he won, would probably have bowed out.
He did on Saturday, after his third round at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, where the 16-year-old Japanese had been playing. After a 65 at Emirates Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates, Nagasaki had grabbed a five-shot lead, and if he had stayed at the top of the leaderboard for just one more round, he would have played in next year’s Masters and Open Championship. At home, he was still a few years away driving — but dreams of hitting balls off the tee Rory, Scottie AND Hideki were close.
However, Sunday’s final round was tough. Nagasaki birdied six of his first 15 holes before making birdies on 16 and 17, and he led FIFA Laopakdee by just one stroke on the par-5 18th. And there, Laopakdee birdied while Nagasaki parred.
On the first playoff hole, the 18th, each player bogeyed. On the second playoff hole, the rolling par-4 17th, every player bogeyed again. You’d expect that kind of game from Nagasaki. Earlier this year, he was co-medalist at the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan and was runner-up at the Japan Amateur Championship. Last year, he won his age category at the Japan Junior Championships and finished runner-up in his age category at the World Junior Championships in San Diego.
On Sunday, on the third playoff hole, Nagasaki was fair to the green on 18 in two, but his third shot came about 50 yards short of the hole and he finished with a par. And Laopakdee chicks. And he was your winner.
Then, on the ESPN broadcast, Nagasaki became emotional during an interview just off the 18th green. MESSENGER Steve Burkowski asked him how he would describe his emotions after Sunday’s game. Through an interpreter, he said he was disappointed in himself, then wiped away tears with his polo shirt. Burkowski then asked for Nagasaki’s thoughts as he countered with the regulation, and he reiterated that he was disappointed.
But Nagasaki also bowed again.
On Sunday, between Laopakdee’s victory and Nagasaki falling just short, Nagasaki bent forward at the waist, then put his white hat back on and left. In Japanese culture, the act is considered a sign of respect. You may remember Hideki Matsuyama’s caddy, Shota Hayafujibowing out in the 18th at Augusta National after Matsuyama won the 2021 Masters.
“I leaned into the course mostly because I was grateful. I wasn’t thinking about doing it and it just happened—like an instinct,” Hayafuji later said Dylan Dethier of GOLF.
Below is a video of the Nagasaki moment captured by the Asia-Pacific Amateur social media team.
On the ESPN broadcast, the announcer Rich Lerner said he thought Nagasaki would soon return. In an interview with reporters, Nagasaki said something similar. Sunday was tough, he said. But he hoped to bounce back.
“When I think about the big stages like the Masters and the Open,” he said, “I still get nervous and feel like I’m not mentally strong enough yet.
