Queenstown, New Zealand: Two Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) champions have distinguished themselves on home soil.
At Poverty Bay Golf Club in North Island, Lisa Herbert, individual women’s winner at the 2024 APFC Senior Championship, dominated the New Zealand Women’s Seniors Championship to claim her maiden New Zealand seniors’ title.
Meanwhile, reigning APGC Boys’ Junior champion Cooper Moore produced an outstanding performance to finish runner-up in the Quinovic NZ PGA Championship.
Herbert had to deal with testing conditions in the wake of an East Coast cyclone that struck earlier in the week.
A member at the Paraparaumu Golf Club, Herbert carded a one-over-75 in Monday’s stroke play round to finish as the top seed heading into the ensuing match play rounds.
She went on to defeat Karen Hay and Megan Allen to book her place in the semi-finals against Jill Morgan, where she finished with an ace on the 133-metre 15th-hole to book her place in the afternoon’s final against Jenny Peters. Herbert continued her solid play under pressure in the afternoon, taking the title by a 2&1 margin.
Earlier in the week, Herbert said her solid course management in the challenging conditions was key. “Playing short isn’t a silly idea here, especially in the wind. At least you’re chipping or putting uphill.”
Meanwhile, Moore, who finished three strokes behind American Austen Truslow, the champion, refused to be blown off course on the final day at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club when winds gusted up to 60 kilometres per hour.
“I’m very proud of my efforts. To hold my nerve, have fun, and keep enjoying the moment was great. It’s not every day a 17-year-old gets to play golf in front of such large crowds on the back nine. I loved it,” said Moore, who was a worthy winner of the Bob Charles Trophy, awarded to the low Kiwi.
Runner-up Cooper Moore (left) alongside champion Auston Truslow at the Quinovic NZ PGA Championship.
This week, Moore is one of six of Golf New Zealand’s top amateur players competing at the 105th New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort, with the group targeting a place in the tournament’s history books.
Moore, Robby Turnbull, Mitchell Kale and Yuki Miya are aiming to become the first New Zealand amateur to win the championship since Sir Bob Charles in 1954. Golf New Zealand Development player Ricky Kang joins the field after winning the Final Qualifying event at Cromwell Golf Club. Mike Toeke will also tee it up at Millbrook Resort, representing New Zealand Maori Golf after winning the 2026 New Zealand Maori Golf National Tane title to earn his place in the tournament.
Only seven amateurs have lifted the Brodie Breeze Trophy in the tournament’s 104-year history. Australian Jake Higginbottom was the most recent in 2012, with Harry Berwick winning in 1956 before him.
The Bledisloe Cup, awarded to the leading amateur at the New Zealand Open since Lord Bledisloe, the fourth Governor-General of New Zealand, first presented the trophy in 1934, has long served as a barometer for the next generation of New Zealand golfing talent. Sir Bob Charles, Phil Tataurangi, Josh Geary and Danny Lee all have their names on it, and in more recent times it has proven an almost uncanny predictor of professional success.
Daniel Hillier claimed the award twice, in 2016 and 2018, before embarking on a DP World Tour career that has now seen him break into the world top 100 and will enter this year’s 105th edition as the highest-ranked player in the field. Kazuma Kobori followed a similar path, winning the Bledisloe Cup in 2023 before turning professional and cementing himself as a top-50 player on the DP World Tour.
Gregg Thorpe, Golf New Zealand’s General Manager – Talent Development & High Performance, said the New Zealand Open is a special fixture in the player development pathway.
He said: “Having a clear pathway for our most talented young players is vital for the long-term success of golf in New Zealand. The New Zealand Open plays an important role on that pathway – it gives players something tangible to aspire to and a chance to benchmark their skills at this level.”
Tournament Director Michael Glading said the New Zealand Open takes pride in showcasing and supporting the next generation of Kiwi golfers.
He said: “The New Zealand Open has always been a platform for young players to test themselves on the biggest stage in our country. Seeing these amateurs compete alongside highly ranked professionals is exactly what the tournament is about. It’s exciting to watch the next wave of New Zealand golf talent take these opportunities, and to see where they go from here. In recent times the likes of Dan Hillier and Kazuma Kobori have featured as leading amateurs in the tournament, and now look where they both are.”
Updated
February 25, 2026 11:49 pm | 14 minutes ago
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