Home winds, not home turf, may be Kiwis’ biggest weapon at Te Arai Links

It might not be home soil but home winds that provide the Kiwi contingent the biggest advantage at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at Te Arai Links South Course starting this week.

No New Zealander has ever won the AAC, with a nine-strong Kiwi team in Zack Swanwick, Joshua Bai, Cooper Moore, Yuki Miya, Robby Turnbull, Ryan Xie and late additions Zach May, Ishaan Shah and Samuel Ding, looking to change that

Swanwick, Bai and Moore fronted media today following a practice round at the Core-Crenshaw designed course which opened in 2022.

“Obviously very special to play at home. It’s my fifth AAC and it’s finally come over to New Zealand,” Bai said.

“It’s awesome to have some of my family and friends watching and have a bit of home crowd support. And especially at a host course like this at Te Arai, it’s pretty awesome,” Bai, who is 66th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, said.

Swanwick, who plays with Bai at the University of Florida, is New Zealand’s top-ranked Kiwi in the field, 23rd in the world rankings. He is a bit short on experience at Te Arai Links but says other factors will help with home advantage.

“I played here a couple of years ago. Only played here once. It’s a pretty fun place, you get to play different shots. I think it’s a golf course you can have a lot of fun. Want to go out there, have some fun and enjoy the time out there,” he said.

“It’s pretty cool. You drive through the gates and see all the signs and see all the buildings that are put up. I think that can easily get put into your mind and start to think about too many things and look forward but at the end of the day you’ve just got to hit a white ball around a piece of land. Just try and keep it as simple as possible and enjoy it.

“The course is in great shape. It’s a course you can either lose it or get it. The best thing for us being home is our heads are calm. I’ve got family and friends around, eating home food.”

The trio expect the conditions to suit them most with strong winds forecast. Weatherwatch is forecasting westerly winds of up to 39km/h for the first round on Thursday and similar for round two.

“The wind can be a factor here and make you think a lot. There’s some tricky holes and some gettable ones, so it’s a good variety,” Bai said.

Cooper Moore added: “For my perspective, I’m used to the conditions as well, which is quite a key part. It’s going to be windy, going to be a little bit of rain and could be cold as well and I think that plays to a big advantage for us.”

Joshua Bai plays a stroke during a practice round ahead of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship being played at the Te Arai Links. Photo / AAC.

The Asia Pacific Amateur Championship carries some of the richest prizes in amateur golf – the winner earns an invitation to the 2027 Masters Tournament and an exemption into The 155th Open Championship, while the runner-up and top-three finishers also earn direct pathways into golf’s biggest stages.

“It would be unreal. It’s a child’s dream,” Swanwick said.

“We all grew up playing golf at a young age and that’s been the dream ever since. It’s all a process, but at an event like this, and have the chance to play at those two events if you win, would be pretty cool.”

It’s the second time the R&A and Masters co-sanctioned tournament has visited New Zealand following the 2017 event at Royal Wellington Golf Club, and marks the first major tournament to be hosted at the Te Arai Links since it opened in 2022.

Reigning champion Fifa Laopakdee (No 29), of Thailand, returns in a strong regional field, including Australia’s Harry Takis – world No 17 and the highest-ranked player in the Championship – Vietnam’s Anh Minh Nguyen (No 30), and Josh Duagmanee (No 40), of Thailand.

Te Arai Links’ South Course, designed by Bill Core and Ben Crenshaw, has previously been ranked seventh in Golf.com’s Top 100 Asia Pacific list. The North Course opened in 2023 to similar impressive reviews.

Te Arai Links has hosted a Cisco Series tournament, a pro-am format, the past two years but the AAC will be the first international event at the property.

The eighth hole at Te Arai Links South Course. Photo / Ricky Robinson

The event will be broadcast in over 190 countries with a potential broadcast reach of over 300 million people, with Sky Sport carrying the New Zealand coverage from 2pm-5pm for all four rounds of the championship.

The Masters broadcast team is coming south to produce it, including world-renowned golf commentators Rich Lerner, Amanda Balionis and New Zealand’s own Frank Nobilo.

“The fact the Masters broadcast team comes down for this tells you how real it is,” Te Arai Links managing director Jim Rohrstaff said.

“The amount of time and resource that has gone into the broadcast set-up is incredible and I can’t wait to see what they’re able to produce.

“The South course is blessed with sea views on 16 of the 18 holes, which in itself will make for some stunning visuals.

“Those views, combined with the wild beauty of the east coast beach landscape and the immaculate condition of the course, I think will blow viewers away at home and around the world. I couldn’t think of a better advertisement for Aotearoa New Zealand.”