2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship Preview, Players to Watch at Te Arai

Greetings from New Zealand! There are places in the world that don’t quite live up to the hype, and I will be the latest to attest that this country is not one of them. It’s gorgeous here, and the Te Arai Links South Course — which is hosting this week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship — is breathtaking. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a reveal more than the one I got when I walked over the hill from the fourth green to the fifth tee. Bill Coore truly cooked with this one. 

A couple key bits of intel from the ground: It is going to be windy, and it is going to be firm. Te Arai South isn’t long, so there could still be some low scores. But I was chatting with the setup team last night and they let me know it might be the firmest championship the R&A has ever presented, even firmer than the Old Course was when it had a firmness rating of 150 for the Open Championship in 2022. For that reason, the greens will need to be a touch slower than they would normally be with high winds expected. On Wednesday, I watched a bunch of players try to figure out where to land their ball with their chips, and it was a genuine adventure. Zack Swanwick, who is from New Zealand, was even experimenting with 3-wood a couple times, trying to use the slopes. If you are a genuine golf course nerd, this might be one of the coolest championships you’ve ever seen. 

If you’re keen to tune in, the championship features three hours of live coverage (2-5 p.m. in New Zealand) on each of the four competition days. It’s broadcast on ESPN in the United States and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. It’s also streaming on AAC.org. 

Here are some of the top players to watch this week: 

Fifa Laopakdee

Could Laopakdee, who won the APA in 2025, repeat as the champion of this event? It’s a difficult task, but it did happen once previously. Hideki Matsuyama won back-to-back trophies in 2010 and 2011, and went on to be a Masters champion. Does Laopakdee have a chance to be that kind of player? The jury is still out. He has not played great this year, by his own admission. But the 21-year-old University of Arizona senior might also be the most experienced player in the field. This is his fifth appearance in this championship, and at the Asian Games last year, he won gold medals for individual and team play. 

“Last year was definitely one of my best year in my life, by far and how I played,” he said. “It was like my prime year last year.  But I mean, this year, my golf game was not where I want it to be that much compared to last year. I don't see it as a failure. I see it as a learning experience.” 

Zack Swanwick

New Zealand hasn’t broken through yet in the APA. Kiwis have finished third three different times. Swanwick, the 20-year-old who plays collegiately at the University of Florida, likely represents their best chance to break through. He’s the 23rd-ranked player in the WAGR (second-highest ranked player in the field), and he reached the Round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur this summer. Swanwick admitted that Ryan Fox’s recent success, his Open Championship win in particular, has really inspired a lot of Kiwis. 

“He's kind of the model for golf New Zealand right now,” Swanwick said. “There's a lot of people and a lot of juniors that look up to him and want to be in his shoes one day, so just to be able to see what he's done and be able to get on the PGA Tour, get his card and keep playing well, it's pretty cool to see that it can be done coming from New Zealand.” 

Jaden Dumdumaya

Everyone in the field knows that the winner gets an invitation to the Masters and the Open Championship, but here is a fun fact about Dumdumaya: He’s already earned his way to Augusta National once before! He was the Boys 14-15 champion in the 2022 Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals. The 20-year-old didn’t think he’d represent the Philippines when he was growing up, even though his grandparents are from there. Dumdumaya is an American citizen who was raised in the Bay Area and played collegiately at USC. But when he was granted dual citizenship, he wanted to honor his heritage and help increase interest in golf in the Philippines.

“Having the opportunity to be able to strike something in history for the Philippines would be pretty special for me,” he said. 

Taishi Moto

The 21-year-old Arizona junior is playing in the APA for the second time, having finished T-19 in 2024. But more recently, he helped Japan win a bronze medal in the Asian Games. He has a lot of talent, but might be a little short on experience when it comes to this kind of golf. 

“This is my first time playing links golf course,” he said. “It's going to be super windy.  So I need to hit, like, low shot [and] just stay focused on my golf game.” 

Kayun Mudadana 

Probably Australia’s best hope to capture the trophy. Mudadana has had an impressive 2026 already. He won the Avondale Amateur in Australia, finished runner-up in the Australian Amateur, and reached the quarterfinals of the Western Amateur in Illinois. The 20-year-old from Sydney played in last year’s APA and finished T-21.

“I've played a lot of links golf,” Mudadana said. “Suits my game.  Being from New South Wales Golf Club, also a links course, it's going to play into my favour that I know how to flight the ball and stuff like that.”

Harry Takis

The highest-ranked player in the field, Takis finished fourth in last year’s championship. He could be considered the favorite after a stellar sophomore season at San Diego State, where he won the Southwestern Invitational and was a first team All-American.

“I like [the course], it's very similar to the Sandbelt in Melbourne, the grass and the greens,” Takis said. “The Australians will have an advantage this week.  We play a lot of golf in similar conditions to this and it's definitely not like playing golf in the U.S.” 

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Anh Minh Nguyen

This will be Nguyen’s fourth appearance in this championship. In 2023, he finished T-7, the highest-ever finish by a participant from Vietnam. He missed last year’s tournament with an injury, but he has a lot of game and he continues to blossom. In 2025, he made it to the final of the U.S. Junior Amateur before losing, 2 and 1, to Hamilton Coleman. He has also experienced success on this kind of course, winning the Bandon Dunes Championship in March of 2026.

“This course is a tough course because the green is firm,” Nguyen said. “It's tough to control the spin, and then like back at home, the green is really soft. We can stop the ball pin high. Here, I land it pin high, but it still rolls 15 yards. I just try to play my game and wait for some luck, and we'll see for this week.” 

Josh Duangmanee

Even if Laopakdee can’t repeat, it doesn’t mean Thailand can’t claim a second-straight crown. Both Duangmanee and Laopakdee represent the growth of golf in Thailand, and Duangmanee might even turn out to be the stronger player. He just wrapped up an excellent career at the University of Virginia, where he reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Amateur and was runner-up in two tournaments. This is his first APA.

“I've been following this tournament from afar,” he said. “Hideki winning, I guess a few years ago, Fifa winning from Thailand.  It's actually been on my radar for quite some time now, probably three, four years.  I'm excited I'm finally here.” 

Minsu Kim

Even if he doesn’t win, remember Kim’s name and keep an eye on him. The 18-year-old from Seoul might be the next great Korean player. He tied for seventh last year in this event, won the prestigious Japan Amateur Golf Championship earlier this year, and finished eighth in the Korean Open. He also likes to say that he plays golf without fear. 

“My goal is to be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Korean golf,” Kim said. “I still have a long way to go, but I believe if I work hard it will definitely be achieved."