Japanese amateur shoots his way into two majors

New Asian amateur golf champion Takumi Kanaya said he was living out a childhood dream after emulating Japan's top golfer Hideki Matsuyama en route to winning a spot in next year's US Masters and British Open.

Kanaya, a 20-year-old Tokyo native, shot a 5-under 65 on Sunday to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship by two strokes over India's Rayhan Thomas and compatriot and fellow Asian Games gold medalist Keita Nakajima.

"This is simply like a dream. I have been dreaming of going to the Masters ever since I was a kid," Kanaya said after posting a 13-under total of 267.