Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in New Zealand

The 17th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is being held at Te Arai Links in New Zealand. The tournament offers the winner invitations to compete in two major championships: The Masters and The Open.

Participants include a seven-member Malaysian squad led by Anson Yeo, who is making his fifth consecutive appearance. The team, which includes U.S.-based Nateesh Ganesh and 15-year-old Afham Othman, the youngest player in the championship, aims to improve upon Malaysia’s previous best finish of a tied-seventh in 2023.

Australia is represented by several players, including Harry Takis, the highest-ranked amateur in the field. Ranked 21st in the world amateur rankings, Takis is seeking redemption after a previous fourth-place finish where a shot stuck in a palm tree hindered his performance. Takis noted that the coastal links course shares similarities with Melbourne’s Sandbelt, which may benefit the seven Australians in the field. He has emphasized a pragmatic approach, stating that “everyone starts at even par.”

As the tournament progresses toward the final round, New Zealander Zack Swanwick holds a two-shot lead at seven under par. Takis entered the final round tied for fifth place, six shots behind the leader, following a third-round score of three-under 68. Other competitors in contention include Thailand’s defending champion Fifa Laopakdee and New Zealander Cooper Moore.