Te Arai Links 'getting better by the day' ahead of first big tournament

The scene is certainly set as the New Zealand six-man contingent look to claim a maiden Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship title at Te Arai Links South Course later this month.

Te Arai Links’ South Course, which opened in 2022, will stage the tournament from October 29 to November 1 for the best amateurs across the Asia-Pacific region.

It will be a chance for a television audience across 190 countries to see just how good we have it in terms of golf property in New Zealand.

The winner earns a spot in the US Masters and the Open Championship, if they retain their amateur status. Current Masters champion Rory McIlroy played the course in 2024 alongside Kiwi Ryan Fox before the Northern Irishman claimed his first green jacket in April.

It marks the second occasion New Zealand has hosted the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), after the Royal Wellington Golf Club was the venue in 2017 when China’s Lin Yuxin won his first of two AAC titles.

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 last two years but the AAC will be the first international event at the property.

Since its opening, the course has continued to blossom, despite a devastating fire at Ric’s Restaurant in April, and has quickly become a go-to destination for travelling golfers.

“Well, first and foremost, I think we’re just blown away, honoured, excited, humbled, all of those things that you would imagine,” Te Arai Links managing director Jim Rohrstaff told Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Sport with Jason Pine on Sunday.

“We think that the golf course, which I’m actually going to go out and play this afternoon, is in the best shape of its very young life and getting better by the day. So I think we cannot wait to show this to the world and hopefully put on just a very memorable tournament for the AAC. We cannot wait.”

Zackary Swanwick, the current world No 22 in the amateur rankings, will lead the Kiwi charge. The 20-year-old plays his golf for the University of Florida Gators in the United States’ collegiate competition.

Swanwick finished in a tie for 12th at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Melbourne in 2023 and was part of the Arnold Palmer Cup-winning international team in Ireland this year.

He will be joined by fellow Florida Gator Joshua Bai, Yuki Miya, Cooper Moore, Robbie Turnbull and Ryan Xie. The latter was runner-up at this year’s Australian Boys’ Amateur and a US Junior Amateur quarter-finalist in July. Moore, meanwhile, is coming off playing in the Junior Presidents Cup at the Medinah Country Club.

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

Rohrstaff likes the chances of a New Zealander being in the hunt on the final round.

“It’s huge for us. So a Kiwi has still never won this event. We’ve had some decent showings, but we’ve never really threatened on Sunday. And I think this year, more than any in the past, I think we’ve got six young guys who have a real shot at this.”

“And, you know, a few of them who are playing exceptional golf right now that in the US during some great amateur tournaments this year have really turned it on. So I think there’s a great chance that they could be there and there’s somebody that the broadcast is talking about on Sunday afternoon.”

The 2025 edition of the AAC, hosted by the United Arab Emirates at The Majlis Course of Emirates Golf Club, was broadcast in more than 190 countries, making the event the most televised amateur golf tournament in the world. Masters commentators Rich Lerner, Frank Nobilo and Amanda Balionis are heading down as part of this year’s coverage.

It presents an opportunity for New Zealand to showcase a property in Te Arai Links that has contributed to the country’s world-renowned reputation as a golfing destination.

What’s unique about this year’s event for tournament play is not just the setting but the on-course facilities where the players will also be staying – including one of the world’s largest putting greens, dubbed The Playground – but also the North Course and a spa and fitness centre with surfing and horseback riding options along the coast.

The par-three 17th hole at Te Arai South Course at sunset. Photo / Ricky Robinson

“These guys have a lot of time on their hands after their four-hour round or probably four-and-a-half-hour round in a tournament condition. But they’ll end up probably spending a lot of time there, which we’re really excited about that,” Rohrstaff said.

“This year is going to be very different than years in the past for the AAC, where the players are actually staying on site here, which means they’ll fill their day with going to the beach and really seeing what Te Arai is all about here. So I think you’ll see a lot more intermingling between nations and teams on that putting green on The Playground. I think it’s going to be spectacular. That’s going to really enhance this, the player experience, this year.”

Cameron McMillan has been a sports journalist since 2003 and is NZME’s Deputy Head of Sport.