Joshua Lim emerged as the leading Malaysian after the first round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship following a battling 72 at the Emirates Golf Club on Thursday.

The 16-year-old Lim made a strong start to his debut appearance in the region’s premier amateur Championship, shooting three birdies in his opening five holes before dropping three shots coming home at the iconic Majlis course, which is the annual host to a DP World Tour event.

Zubair Firdaus returned a 73 to be the next best Malaysian as Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee, Le Khanh Hun of Vietnam and Australian Billy Dowling took the opening day’s honours by shooting matching 66s to set the early pace where this week’s champion will earn invitations to the Masters Tournament and The Open.

It was a bittersweet first appearance in the Championship for Lim as he struggled to cope with the hot and humid conditions in Dubai.

“It was a wonderful experience, I started off really hot, birdie, birdie but towards the end, my focus gave out. This course is a challenging, especially with the winds which played a big factor and I wasn’t used to it. It was also quite hot out there. Hopefully I can improve over the next few rounds. I’m happy I could play a decent round,” said the Sarawakian teenager.

“I’m so happy to have a chance to represent my country and play in this wonderful event. I enjoyed the views, the experience to play on a course that you watch on TV is quite exciting. I’ll need to maintain my tee shots on the fairway and play more conservatively.”

The 23-year-old Zubair, who arrived in Dubai in good form following a victory at the Bahrain Amateur Open earlier this month, endured a mixed bag with three birdies against four bogeys. Zia Iqmal Abdul Rashid started with a 75 while four other Malaysians, Anson Yeo, Maverick Chua, Farez Azihan and Hariz Hezri – were still playing their first rounds at press time.

“It was tough in the afternoon with the winds and I didn’t play my best,” said Zubair, who is making his fourth successive appearance in the Championship. “I caught some fliers from out of the rough and need to drive better to stay on the fairways.”

Le Khanh Hun became the first Vietnamese to hold at least a share of the lead in any round in Championship history after hitting an eagle and four birdies for his stellar 66 as he chases for more glory for his emerging nation in the sport.

Khanh Hung created history for Vietnam by becoming the first male golfer from the country to win the individual gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games in 2023. Last year, he was part of the national team which won the 2024 Nomura Cup on home soil, marking an historic maiden victory in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Team Championship for the emerging golf nation.

In 15 previous editions of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, no Vietnamese has won the prestigious Championship, with Nguyen Anh Minh’s tied seventh finish at Royal Melbourne in 2023 being the best result. This past summer, Anh Minh produced another breakthrough by becoming the first Vietnamese to qualify for the final of the U.S. Junior Amateur.

“It was good. I'm just happy that I stick to my strategy. Didn't get frustrated, I'm happy I was composed,” said Khanh Hun. “I think I believe in my preparation and just a lot of trust in myself. I would say everything is feeling nice out there."