New Zealand’s prospects for next year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Wellington look strong following last month’s event in South Korea.
The Royal Wellington Golf Club will host next year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur, the world’s most televised amateur golf event, and anticipation has only been heightened with solid performances by the New Zealanders in South Korea.
The tournament was dominated by the Australian pair of Curtis Luck and Brett Coletta but Luke Toomey from New Zealand was a creditable third.
The other five New Zealanders all made the cut. Nick Voke was 11th at three over par for the four rounds, Daniel Hillier 15th at six over followed by Luke Brown (eight over), Nicholas Coxon (13 over) and Ryan Chisnall (16 over).
Because New Zealand is the host next year it’s representation will increase from six to 10 players.
Toomey, from Waikato, had the best score on the final day, carding a bogey-free six-under par 66 at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon.
It took him to nine-under par for the tournament, just two behind the runner-up and three behind the winner. Toomey, 23, was delighted.
“I’m just bloody stoked and it’s satisfying to know the hard work is starting to trend nicely,” Toomey said.
“I came here with the intention to do something special but I probably didn’t make those birdies quick enough. I’m not going to think of the what-ifs, I’m just proud of what I did achieve today.”
Toomey’s finish matched Ben Campbell in 2011 as the best by a New Zealander in the tournament’s seven-year history. Campbell finished third behind Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, now a top performer on the PGA Tour in the United States.
The win of Luck in South Korea continued some outstanding international form.
He was the second-top individual performer when Australia was a runaway winner of the Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico a fortnight earlier while Luck also won the US Amateur earlier in the year.

Australian players have now won the championship twice to equal South Korea (2009, 2013), Japan (2010, 2011) and China (2012, 2015).
Luck, 20, was seven behind Coletta at the start of the final day and had to shoot his lowest score of the week to clinch victory at his second appearance in the tournament, having made his debut in 2014.
“I’ve had an amazing year and this has topped it off,” Luck.
“I came here to try my best and win, but I wasn’t expecting to be standing here with the trophy at the end of the week. I’ve had a pretty good year and a couple of big wins in the past couple of months.”

NZ’s chances looking good for Asia-Pacific at Royal Wellington