All six players are graduates or current members of Golf New Zealand’s Talent Development Programme and a testament to the strength of the pathway; each having built valuable experience internationally and domestically.

The group will contest the 17th edition of the championship on the South Course from October 29 - November 1, going up against the leading men’s amateurs from across the Asia-Pacific region.

The AAC offers some of the most significant opportunities in amateur golf, with the champion earning an invitation to the 2027 Masters Tournament and an exemption into The 155th Open Championship. The runner-up and other leading finishers also earn exemptions into major amateur and professional events.

It will be the second time the tournament, co-sanctioned by The R&A and the Masters Tournament, has been staged in Aotearoa New Zealand, following the 2017 edition at Royal Wellington Golf Club won by China’s Yuxin Lin. It will also mark the first major international championship hosted at Te Arai Links since the venue opened in 2022.

Joshua Bai will make his third AAC start after a standout northern summer in the United States. The Aucklander claimed the prestigious North & South Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2 in July, defeating Keaton Vo 1-up in the final, before progressing to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur. Earlier in the year, he also finished tied third at the Sea Best Invitational for the University of Florida.

Florida teammate Zack Swanwick returns to the AAC after missing last year’s championship due to collegiate commitments. The Hawke’s Bay representative recorded three top-10 finishes for the Gators during the 2025/26 season, including a share of third at the Williams Cup, before closing the NCAA Championship with a six-under 66. He also represented the International side at the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup.

Cooper Moore arrives with another strong year behind him, having claimed his maiden Summerset Charles Tour title at the 2025 Mount Open before finishing runner-up at the New Zealand PGA Championship earlier this year. The Canterbury teenager also reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in July and returns to the AAC after finishing tied 17th in Dubai last year.

Fellow Cantabrian Yuki Miya has enjoyed a breakout 12 months of his own. Miya won the Pegasus Classic on the Charles Tour late last year before finishing as the leading amateur at the 105th New Zealand Open to then placing runner-up at the Faldo Junior Tour Asia Grand Final in a playoff and finishing ninth at The Amateur Championship.

Robby Turnbull returns after a tied 19th finish at the 2025 AAC at Emirates Golf Club. The Aucklander has since completed an impressive first collegiate season with Eastern Michigan University, highlighted by a tied-sixth finish at the Hal Williams Collegiate and selection as Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year and to the All-MAC First Team.

Rounding out the group is Ryan Xie, who has produced a string of strong international results in recent months. Xie finished runner-up at the Australian Junior Amateur in April, tied fourth at the Western Junior and reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Junior Amateur, where he was edged 2&1 by fellow Kiwi Moore.

It is a strong mix of international experience and emerging form for New Zealand, with Swanwick, Bai, Moore and Turnbull all returning from previous AAC appearances while Miya and Xie will look to make the most of a rare opportunity to compete for one of amateur golf’s biggest titles on home soil.

While daily public attendance to AAC will be limited due to the infrastructure required to accommodate large crowds, the event will be broadcast in over 150 countries with a potential broadcast reach of over 300 million people, with Sky Sport carrying the New Zealand coverage.

About the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship

First played in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and The R&A to develop amateur golf across the region and provide a direct pathway to the game’s biggest stages.

The championship is played over 72 holes of stroke play, with the leading 60 players and ties making the 36-hole cut. This year’s champion will earn an invitation to the 2027 Masters Tournament and an exemption into The 155th Open at St Andrews, while the runner-up or runners-up will earn a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.

The championship has produced a long list of players who have gone on to success at the professional level, including New Zealand’s own Ryan Fox, Champion Golfer of the Year, Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith, Min Woo Lee, Cameron Davis and Si Woo Kim.

New Zealand’s AAC history

New Zealand is still searching for its first Asia-Pacific Amateur title, with third place remaining the country’s best finish.

Peter Spearman-Burn shared third at the inaugural championship in 2009, Ben Campbell finished third in Singapore in 2011, and Luke Toomey matched that result in Korea in 2016.