ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship: All you need to know about Auckland’s newest golf tournament

Aerial view of the clubhouse at Royal Auckland and the Grange Golf Club. Photo / Gary Lisbon Photography

Professional golf is back in Auckland for the first time in 22 years when two of the world’s premier golf tours come together for the inaugural ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship starting tomorrow.

A first-time collaboration between the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and Japan Golf Tour, the $1.43 million tournament will be held over a composite course at Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club, one of New Zealand’s best golfing venues.

Royal Auckland & Grange is ready to go on show. It boasts 27 holes, with this week’s layout including all nine from the Middlemore course, seven from Tamaki and two from the Grange.

The bunkering is a feature, and with four par threes, four par fives and 10 par fours, it plays to a par of 72, covering 6603m.

The word from the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia members who double as Royal Auckland & Grange members is that this week will not be a low-scoring shootout, even though the weather prediction is very favourable.

After his Tuesday morning practice round, Cam Harlock noted the conditions for the professionals this week were very similar to what his fellow RA&GGC members face from day to day.

“There’s a few little things around the course, like the roughs are a little longer, the greens are a touch firmer, but honestly, they have this place in such good nick all year round that there’s not too many differences out there,” he said.

“Having the chance to have so many Tour players and really good players here and appreciating it. Yeah, feel pretty lucky to have it here.”

Jared Edwards, who has been a member since starting at the then Grange Golf Club as a 9-year-old said: “I’m just hoping that the wind stays up and then this place will definitely show its teeth.

“It’s pretty cool to finally have a big event in Auckland and at my home track.”

Meanwhile, Nick Voke is hoping for some tucked-in pins to go with some firmer greens than usual.

“Everything’s just that little notch up. Hopefully, they get some cooperative weather and produce quite a challenge for us,” he said.

With just three events left on the 2025/26 schedule, this week is also set to have huge permutations in the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit race.

The top three on the standings remained unchanged after last week’s New Zealand Open where leader Cam John, second-placed Christopher Wood and No 3 James Marchesani all missed the halfway cut.

The other members of the top 10 playing this week, targeting a win would to take them into the No 1 spot, are Haydn Barron (No 4), Nathan Barbieri (No 6), Will Florimo (No 8) and Jay Mackenzie (No 9).

This week’s field also features 60 Japanese tour players, led by their No.3 on the moneylist last year, Taiga Semikawa, whose 2025 season featured 11 top-10s highlighted by a win at the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup.

Major global golf supporter ISPS HANDA serves as the title partner of the new event, which is also supported by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.

ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship

Venue: Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club

Prizemoney: A$1.2m ($1.43m)

TV coverage: The ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship is live on Sky Sports in New Zealand and Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo in Australia.

Round 1: Thursday 3.30-6.30pm

Round 2: Friday 3.30-6.30pm

Round 3: Saturday 3.30-6.30pm

Final Round: Sunday 1.30pm-6.30pm

Players to watch

Kazuma Kobori – Three-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia champion

Anthony Quayle – 2025/26 DP World Tour member

Cam John - Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader

Ryan Peake – 2025 NZ Open champion

Kevin Na – Five-time PGA Tour winner

Nick Watney – Five-time PGA Tour winner

Kazuki Higa – 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion

Taiga Semikawa – 2025 JGTO Order of Merit No.3

MJ Maguire - Asian Tour winner