Golf · PGA Tour of Australasia · 2025-2026

Date & time

4 Mar 2026, 19:30

Round

19

Venue

Royal Auckland and Grange

Location

Auckland, New Zealand

The 2026 ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship makes its landmark debut at the Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club in New Zealand. This inaugural event represents a significant collaboration between the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the Japan Golf Tour, featuring a $1.2 million (approx. ¥123 million) prize purse. The course, a composite layout combining holes from the Middlemore, Tamaki, and Grange narrows, is designed to be a strategic test rather than a low-scoring shootout. With deep bunkering and firm greens, the players must navigate a 6,603-meter par-72 layout that "shows its teeth" whenever the Auckland wind picks up. The narrative for Round 1 focuses on the clash between the top stars of both regions. Japan is led by its 2025 money list standouts, including Taiga Semikawa, while the Australasian contingent is headlined by Order of Merit leaders Cam John, Christopher Wood, and James Marchesani. Additionally, the field has been bolstered by Asian Tour heavyweights like John Catlin and Travis Smyth. Strategically, players will look to capitalize on the four par-5s while exercising caution on the heavily bunkered par-3s. For many, this is the first professional tournament in Auckland in two decades, adding a layer of historical significance to every opening tee shot.