By Kent Gray
What Rayhan Thomas would give to do Thursday over again.

The 18-year-old Dubai star isn’t grumbling after a sensational run to joint second place at the 10th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Singapore on Sunday.

It’s the best performance by an Indian at an event ranked among the world’s top five amateur tournaments and earns the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club member a start in the qualifying series for the next year’s 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

But Thomas was left to rue a four-over-par opening round of 74 at Sentosa Golf Club’s new Tanjong course on Thursday. He went on to play the final 54 holes in -15 with rounds of 64-65-66 to eventually finish -11 with a 269 aggregate.

Consider that the winner, Japanese 20-year-old Takumi Kanaya, won with a -13 total to earn exemptions to next year’s U.S. Masters, the Open and the 124th (British) Amateur Championship.

Still, Thomas is the toast of Middle East golf after getting within a shot of the lead on Sunday at Sentosa before settling for second with Kanaya’s countryman Keita Nakajima.

The silver medal is the biggest result of Thomas’ career and earns him a place in one of the Open Championship’s qualifying series events of his choice, among them the Australian Open, Joburg Open, SMBC Singapore Open or the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open.

The top-five finish also guarantees Thomas a start in next year’s Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in Shanghai during a year where he’ll further his golf education in the U.S. at Oklahoma State, the university where Rickie Fowler honed his game.

“I’m pretty proud. It’s been a good week,” Thomas said in the understatement of the day.

“I mean the four-over start wasn’t good but I was able to pull it together and have a good last three rounds. Birdie on 12 put me in a place where I thought I maybe could just about grab it but I think Takumi’s in a good spot, he’s not going to do anything wrong. But it’s good to know I was in contention.”

The result is also a further nod to Thomas’ coach Justin Parsons and the MENA Tour, the developmental circuit on which the teen created history as the first amateur winner at his home Dubai Creek Open in 2016 as well as a joint world record for successive birdies in a pro event in his defence of the event in September last year.

David Spencer, a strategic advisor to the MENA Tour, led the chorus of online applause to Thomas’ performance.

How about getting a doff of the cap from the son of Butch Harmon:

Joy Chakravarty was on hand at Sentosa G.C. to enjoy the biggest moment from the region’s best performing amateur:

This from his coach, Parsons:

Thomas not only did the Emirates Golf Federation region proud as this tweet from India highlights: