Source: Radio New Zealand
New Zealand golfer Eunseo Choi at the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. DAVID CANNON / AFP
Golf New Zealand believes this week’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship has the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for the game here.
Eighty-four players from 25 countries will take part in the tournament at Royal Wellington with a career-changing opportunity for the winner.
Current world number one Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand won the inaugural tournament in 2018 with the champion receiving invitations to play a number of key tournaments around the world, including three majors.
New Zealand has 10 players taking part, while many others, not quite at that level, will be on course to see the best amateur players in the region.
The growth of boys golf in New Zealand is on a high and while the interest in the girls game is also on the increase, Golf New Zealand would like to see more.
There are more than 2000 under-19 female players registered in New Zealand, an increase of 450 in the past year.
Golf New Zealand’s talent development manager, Liz McKinnon, said hosting the Asia-Pacific women’s tournament here for the first time provided a great opportunity to showcase the women’s game and to help young players in New Zealand.
“There is the obvious impact for our players that are participating, but also for our girls that aren’t at that level yet about the awareness of the event being here. The exposure and the opportunity to watch the event and see the best players from the Asia-Pacific region.”
Wellington golfer Elise Barber. Supplied / WAAP
Many eyes will be on 13-year-old Wellington player Elise Barber who got a late call-up to the event.
She joins a strong New Zealand contingent that includes top-ranked Kiwi Eunseo Choi, who finished 13th at the 2025 championship, and Vivian Lu, who will make her sixth WAAP appearance.
Elise is a Royal Wellington member and WAAP (Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific) Academy graduate and will be the youngest player in the field.
The Queen Margaret College year 9 student, who plays off a +2.3 handicap, had a strong 2025 season including winning her age division at the Australian Junior Championships. She also helped Wellington secure third at the New Zealand Women’s Interprovincial Tournament.
Glenda Swan, who managed Wellington’s interprovincial team and has watched Elise’s development, believes she could be the next big star.
“She has a really well rounded game for her age and what separates her from others her age is her consistency and composure … she is now thinking her way around the course.”
Swan has also been involved in organising the 353 volunteers needed to help the tournament run smoothly.
While the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) has control of the running of the tournament and the financing of of the players, Royal Wellington club members and the volunteers are those on the ground helping the players and the hoped-for 10,000 spectators enjoy their experience.
Swan said volunteers (aged from 11 to 87) had come from all over the country to help from traffic management to kitchen helpers, scorers and caddies.
Royal Wellington hosted the men’s equivalent tournament in 2017.
New Zealand has 10 players taking part – Eunseo Choi, Vivian Lu, Emma Zheng, Darae Chung, Caitlin Maurice, Juwon Kim, Chloe So, Cherry Lee, Teresa Wang and Elise Barber.
Jeneath Wong of Malaysia will defend her title, while there is a strong contingent from Singapore, China and Australia.
Royal Wellington Golf club house. Marty Melville / PHOTOSPORT
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
