Rising Aussie golf stars Billy Dowling and Harry Takis have made sparkling starts in their bids to grab the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship title -- and the golden ticket to the Masters that goes with victory in Dubai.

Queenslander Dowling was joint-leader after the first round at the Emirates Golf Club's Majlis Course on Thursday, shooting a sparkling six-under 66 to share the opening-day spoils with 17-year-old Vietnamese prospect Khanh Hung Le and Thailand's Fifa Laopakdee.

Australia's No.1-ranked amateur Takis was just a shot behind among four players who fired 67s on the celebrated course.

Dowling, the 20-year-old Gold Coast prospect who finished 10th at the Asia-Pacific at Royal Melbourne two years ago, could hardly have wished for a better start as he compiled six birdies acros

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