Strong NZ teams to Junior Golf World Cup
- Dave Worsley
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
New Zealand is sending a team of three girls and three boys to the 2025 Junior World Cup in Nagoya, Japan, late next month.
Played at Chukyo Golf Club’s Ishino Course, the Under 19 Boys team features Cooper Moore (Clearwater), Robby Turnbull (Remuera) and Ricky Kang (Millbrook), while the Under 19 Girls team sees Emma Zheng (Royal Auckland and Grange), Chloe So (Pakuranga) and Teresa Wang (Pupuke) pull on the silver fern in Japan.
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Each round, the two best of the three Boys and the two best of the three Girls scores will be taken and put towards each team’s total; meaning that each day, every New Zealand team member will have a chance to contribute to each team’s success.
Zheng will lead the Girls team as a Golf New Zealand Academy member Moore and Turnbull, also Academy members, are returning from the 2023 Boys team.
Zheng will be looking to continue her strong form in 2025 on the Ishino Course, she emerged victorious at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club in winning the New Zealand Strokeplay Championship Women’s title and performed well at the Australian Junior Girls Amateur in Brisbane.
Moore heads to Japan as the current New Zealand Men’s Amateur champion, as well as holding the Australian Junior Boys Amateur title after winning a dramatic three-hole playoff at Indooroopilly Golf Club in Brisbane this April.
Turnbull also will tee it up in Japan with rich form behind him as he recently defended his St Andrews Salver title for the leading men’s amateur at the New Zealand Strokeplay Championship.
Golf New Zealand Talent Development Manger, Liz McKinnon, and Golf New Zealand Academy coach Jay Carter will travel to Japan to support the team.
McKinnon said the tournament will provide a test for the young players beyond the usual rigors of a golf tournament.
"This event will provide our players with an amazing opportunity to compete against some of the best young players from around the world. The golf course and the different environment that Japan provides will test not only their golf skills but their travel, tournament prep and in event systems.”
Some of the world’s elite golfers have competed at Toyota Junior Golf World Cup including Justin Rose (England), a Rio 2016 Olympics gold medallist and 2013 US Open champion, Jon Rahm (Spain), a two-time major winner including the 2023 Masters and Hideki Matsuyama (Japan