Moore, Turnbull top-20 Asia-Pac Amateur Champs
- Dave Worsley
- Oct 27
- 2 min read
New Zealand closed the week with two players inside the top-20 at the 16th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai's Majlis Course.
Seventeen-year-old Cantabrian Cooper Moore led the team with a final-round 73 to finish four-under par and tied for 17th. Robby Turnbull posted a closing 74 to finish one shot back at three-under and T19. Joshua Bai signed for a 73 to finish T34 at three-over.
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Across the week the New Zealand trio stayed in the fight, kept creating chances and never backed away from the championship stage, even when the scorecards didn’t fully show the quality of their play.
The experience gained competing head-to-head with the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation’s strongest field is invaluable, and Golf New Zealand is eager to see how the group uses it to move their careers forward.
Turnbull now returns to Eastern Michigan, Bai heads back to the University of Florida, while Moore turns his attention to the upcoming New Zealand Amateur.
Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee won the Championship in a three-hole playoff after erasing a six-shot deficit on the final day, then birdied three consecutive extra holes to secure the title. With the victory he earns starts in both the 2026 Masters Tournament and The Open at Royal Birkdale.
The Championship now comes to New Zealand, with Te Arai Links confirmed as the 2026 host venue.
The home side will have the next 12 months to prepare for the region’s premier amateur event to be played on home soil.
