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Te Arai Links has been confirmed as the host venue for one of amateur golf’s most prestigious events, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
It will be the second time the championship has been staged in New Zealand and the first time it has been held at Te Arai Links, nine years after Royal Wellington Golf Club hosted the tournament in 2017.
Some of golf’s leading male amateur golfers from across the Asia-Pacific region will compete, with players representing all 43 APGC-affiliated organisations. The rewards will be significant.
This year’s champion will earn an invitation to compete in the following year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, along with an exemption into the 155th Open Championship at St Andrews. The runner-up or runners-up will also secure a place in final qualifying for the open.
R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said returning the championship to New Zealand was an exciting milestone.
“Te Arai’s South Course is an exceptional venue and will provide a fantastic test of golf in a spectacular location,” Darbon said.
“Our goal is to continue to inspire and develop the region’s most talented players, and we look forward to another outstanding edition in 2026.”
The Asia-Pacific Amateur has a strong history of producing future stars. Past competitors include two-time champion and 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama, 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who holds the course record at Te Arai Links.
Alumni of the championship have collectively gone on to win 33 PGA Tour events and more than 150 tournaments across the world’s major professional tours.
Te Arai Links managing director Jim Rohrstaff said hosting the event was a major honour for the young venue, which opened in 2022. The par-72 South Course features 16 ocean-view holes set among natural sand dunes overlooking the Pacific Ocean is consistently ranked among the world’s top 100 courses.
The championship will be played at Te Arai from October 29 to November 1.
