Te Arai Links to Host 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship

Anand Krishnaswamy 

DUBAI: The annual Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship will travel to New Zealand, as it will be contested at the Te Arai Links’s South Course in Tomarata, New Zealand, from October 29-November 1, 2026.

The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), the Masters Tournament and The R&A selected New Zealand as the venue for the second time and it will be held at Te Arai Links. The 17th AAC will be held from October 29-November 1, 2026.

India has been a regular participant at the event and this week four of the five Indians who teed up have made the cut. They are Anshul Mishra, Raghav Gulati, Rakshit Dahiya, Ranveer Mitroo and

The field is composed annually of the top male amateurs in the Asia-Pacific region representing the 43 Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation affiliated organizations.

The champion of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur will receive an invitation to compete in the following year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and an exemption into The 155th Open at St Andrews. The runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.

“We are delighted to be taking the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship back to New Zealand and to be staging it at Te Arai Links for the first time,” said Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A. “Te Arai’s South Course is an exceptional venue and will provide a fantastic test of golf in a spectacular location. Our goal for the Championship is to continue to inspire and develop the region’s most talented players and we look forward to another outstanding edition in 2026.”

The course is designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and was established in 2022. Te Arai Links South Course is located 75 minutes from Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand.

The links-style venue – which consistently ranks in the top-100 courses in the world – includes 16 ocean view holes, looking directly at the Pacific Ocean, and firm, fast fescue built on natural sand dunes.

Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Over the Championship’s 15-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including

“We are incredibly honoured to be hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur at Te Arai Links in 2026,” said Jim Rohrstaff, Managing Director of Te Arai Links. “This is one of the top amateur tournaments in the world and run by some of the top organizations in golf. As a very young facility (opened in October of 2022), this reiterates what a special place we have here in New Zealand.”

The event returns to New Zealand nine years after it was held at Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand.