The vision to create a tournament that showcased the Japan – Australasia relationship has materialised this week at the Royal Auckland Golf Club.
The ISPS Handa Japan – Australasia Championship has enjoyed an incredible start and the leaderboard at the halfway mark reflects the dream of bringing the two regions together.
The event is the first time a fully co-sanctioned JGTO and PGA Tour of Australasia has operated and organisers could not be happier with how the first two days of the tournament have unfolded.
Players from Japan, Australia and New Zealand dominate the leaderboard with the leading 20 players including nine Japanese players, two from New Zealand and eight from Australia.
New Zealand local and Royal Auckland member Nick Voke, is perfectly positioned one off the lead at 8 under.
Voke shot a 6-under-par 66 at Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club in Round 2 to sit just one behind Kohei Okada, who will be chasing the first Japan Golf Tour win of his career this weekend, and Australian Jay Mackenzie who birdied three of his last six holes to match his co-leader’s 67.
Voke’s second round was bogey-free with three birdies on the front nine matched by three on the back nine.
With major rewards on the line on Sunday, the 31-year-old is trying not to think too much about the huge career boost a win would bring.
Not only would he be the inaugural Japan-Australasia Championship titleholder, he’d most likely move to No.1 on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia with two events to play and earn a two-year exemption on the Japan Golf Tour.
“That’d be awesome,” he said about winning at his home club.
“I’ve been a member here six or seven years now and really consider it my home when I am home.
“I haven’t put much thought into what winning would be like, but it would be incredible.”
He finished his day with a four-metre birdie putt on the par-3 ninth – his ninth birdie for the morning – to beat the 16-hour-old course record of 66 shot by Yoshinori Fujimoto on day one.
Of the three Japanese players in the top six, only co-leader Okada is without a win on his home tour.
His second round highlight was an eagle on the par-5 sixth, part of a front nine of 31.
“I’m not feeling that confident, so I’m going to go out and practice now,” he remarked post-round.
Nebatani, the winner of the Casio World Open on the Japanese tour in 2023, is sharing third place on his second trip to New Zealand which has quickly become one of his favourite places to visit.
“There are still 36 holes to go, but I’m already in a position I wasn’t in last year, so I’m happy about that,” he said.
Overnight leader Yoshinori Fujimoto followed his opening 66 with a 71 today to be 7-under-par heading into the weekend as he still tries to adjust to the large, slopy greens that are a feature of the composite course, especially on the back nine.
“The greens are very steep,” he said.
“In Japan, if you can get on the green, you can usually make par, but here, depending on where you land, it can result in bogey.
“My putting wasn’t very good today, but I still ended up under par, so I think it was good.”
