Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan: Fresh from an impressive DP World Tour debut, Singaporean Brayden Lee led the overseas challenge on the opening day of The Royal Junior.
Joint eighth at The Royal Club last year, Lee launched his 2025 campaign here with a one-over-par 73 at the course that measures a whopping 8,026 yards.
That effort lifted Lee into a share of second place with Korean Yu Min-hyeok, one stroke off the pace being set by Japan’s Takeru Michiue, the only player in the 49-strong Boys’ division not to shoot above par.
Last month, Lee underlined his potential at the DP World Tour’s Porsche Singapore Classic, returning scores of 69 and 74. Although he missed the cut there by one shot, he won the award as Low Amateur.
A member of the Singapore team at last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Team Championship for the Nomura Cup, Lee is now looking to improve on his last appearance in Japan when he tied for 32nd at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Gotemba last October.
Among other notables in the field, Nguyen Anh Minh, who led Vietnam to victory in the 2024 Nomura Cup, is in a share of fifth place on 75.
But it was a tough day for Indian Kartik Singh, who played alongside Anh Minh in the International Team at last year’s Junior Presidents Cup and the victorious Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Bonallack Trophy team in January.
Singh came back in 41 to sign for an 80 that has him in equal 23rd place.
In the 45-player Girls’ division, Japan’s Mana Yoshizaki and Korean Park Seo-jin lead the way after firing matching two-under-par 70s.
Both hit the ball long and straight on the course that is stretched to 7,030 yards for the girls.
Yoshizaki covered both nines in 35 while Park went out in 34 and came back in even-par 36.
Going into Saturday’s second round in the 54-hole event, the duo are three strokes clear of Korean Nam Sie-un and Japan’s Anna Iwanaga in joint third.
Also making a steady start was Mamika Shinchi who is alone in fifth following a 74. Shinchi, 40th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, was part of the APGC’s winning Patsy Hankins Trophy team against the European Golf Association in the United Arab Emirates in January.
Among a group of players in equal sixth on 75 is China’s Liu Yujie, who tied for seventh at last month’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in Vietnam.
Organised by Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings Inc and approved by the APGC and The R&A, The Royal Junior is also supported by the Japan Golf Association, Japan High School and Junior High School Golf Association.
The top players outside of Japan are selected by the APGC. All players must be under the age of 18 years old as of March 31, 2025.
Leading First-Round Scores
Boys
72 – Takeru Michiue (Japan)
73 – Brayden Lee (Singapore); Yu Min-hyeok (Korea)
74 – Mao Matsuyama (Japan)
75 – Nguyen Anh Minh (Vietnam); Wang Haoyi (China); Jittahorn Wiss (Thailand); Yuki Hisatsune (Japan); Taisei Nagasaki (Japan)
Selected Scores
76 – Anshul Mishra (India); Shahmeer Maajid (Pakistan); Do Duong Gia Minh (Vietnam); Parin Sarasmut (Thailand)
77 – Kang Seung-gu (Korea); Harjai Milkha Singh (India)
80 – Kartik Singh (India); Hsu Po-cheng (Chinese Taipei); Shinichi Suzuki (Philippines)
Girls
70 – Park Seo-jin (Korea); Mana Yoshizaki (Japan)
73 – Nam Sie-un (Korea); Anna Iwanaga (Japan)
74 – Mamika Shinchi (Japan)
75 – Monami Tamura (Japan); Uno Neda (Japan); Li Menghan (China); Kurara Arakaki (Japan); Liu Yujie (China); Tsukiha Nakashima (Japan); Reina Todaka (Japan)
Selected Scores
77 – Leung Hei-tung (Hong Kong)
78 – Hsieh Ping-hua (Chinese Taipei); Nguyen Vu Hoang Anh (Vietnam)
79 – Grace Quintanilla (Philippines)
80 – Zara Anand (India); Kaya Daluwatte (Sri Lanka)
