Golfing prodigy Cooper Moore among six teens picked to represent NZ at Junior World Cup
Some of the world's most prestigious golfers have competed in the event before, including 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist and 2013 US Open champion Justin Rose (England), two-time major winner Jon Rahm (Spain) and the first Japanese golfer to win a major tournament – the 2021 Masters – Hideki Matsuyama.
Heading the boys' group is 16-year-old golfing sensation Moore from Christchurch who currently sits 257th in the world amateur golf ranking.
It's been a stellar seven months for Moore, who won the New Zealand Amateur Championship in November and the Australian Boys' Amateur last month. He also played in his first New Zealand Open in Queenstown in February.
It was in spectacular fashion that the St Bede's College Year 12 student won the Australian Boys' Amateur too, holing out from a greenside bunker to end a dramatic three-hole playoff at Indooroopilly Golf Club in Brisbane.
Moore competed at the 2023 edition of the Junior Golf World Cup, which was played at the same course in Japan, and says he will rely on previous experience as he eyes a top-five individual result.
'I think it's going to be pretty helpful,' he told the Herald. 'I feel like I know the course reasonably well, been there before and I guess [I know] what to expect as well with the competition and the way the tournament is run.'
He was excited at the prospect of coming up against the best young golfers in the world.
'Two years ago I didn't have the length I have now and I struggled quite a bit with that, so I think it'll be quite nice going back and hitting the ball further.
'My game has definitely gotten better over that time, so it'll be cool to see the improvement.'
Also returning to the tournament for a second time is 18-year-old Aucklander Turnball, who has also notched up a number of wins over his short career.
Zheng will lead the girls team, looking to continue her strong form in 2025 after winning the New Zealand Strokeplay Championship Women's title last month. She also had a strong showing at the Australian Junior Girls Amateur a week later, with a top-10 finish.
Golf New Zealand's talent development manager, Liz McKinnon, and academy coach, Jay Carter, will also travel to Japan next month to support the team.
'This event will provide our players with an amazing opportunity to compete against some of the best young players from around the world,' McKinnon said.
'The golf course and the different environment that Japan provides will test not only their golf skills but their travel, tournament prep and in-event systems.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
4 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe on life after rugby and her King's Birthday honour
Fifteen-year-old Portia Woodman-Wickliffe stood in the Mount Albert Grammar School hall dreaming of her name going up on the sports honours board. Little did she know, 18 years later, she would receive a King's Birthday honour. 'It's such a crazy, crazy idea,' Woodman-Wickliffe told the Herald. 'I'm extremely
Newsroom
6 hours ago
- Newsroom
Our sports queen honoured by the King
Suzanne McFadden has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King's Birthday Honours for her services to sports journalism and women. In this Q&A, the founder of our LockerRoom section and passionate advocate for better participation, media coverage and recognition for women in sport, reflects on a 40-year labour of love. How hard was it starting out in the 80s as the only woman in the room in sports departments, press boxes and media conferences? Initially it was tough to get a foot in the door. I tried a couple of times, but naively I had no idea how difficult it was as a young female to get a start in sport, which was the only job I ever wanted. It wasn't until a defendant in a district court case I was covering threatened to kill me, that the Herald bosses finally agreed to transfer me from news to the sports department – just in time for the 1990 Commonwealth Games. I was there when gymnast Nikki Jenkins, then 14 years old, won gold on the vault, and her parents had been my PE teachers. I stayed working in sport for the Herald for 10 years – and I had incredible opportunities to cover events around the world, like the America's Cup. And even though I was the only woman in the department through that decade, it felt more like being part of a tight sports team. There was one time, though, at a sailing regatta, I was made to feel like the 'new girl' who'd only be there for 10 minutes… 30 years later… Did you get pigeon-holed into writing about women's sports? In my first job, at the Bay of Plenty Times, I was a general news reporter, but the sports editor, Kevin Savage, asked me to cover the local netball competition. I was not impressed – I'd only ever played 10 minutes of netball at school (fell over, grazed my knees on the asphalt, and never walked onto a netball court again). But he told me to write about the people more than the sport, and that's become my compass. Sir Terry McLean, who I was privileged to work alongside when I first started in sports journalism, once told me, 'The human story is the best story'. So even if I was assigned to women's sport, it was okay, because I was weaving the stories of interesting and often outstanding people into the match reports. Have you ever had a woman boss? Who are your female mentors? I've never had a female boss in sports reporting, but some of the best editors I've worked with in my freelancing career have been women. The wonderful Carroll du Chateau at Canvas taught me how to craft a feature story and was an incredible mentor. Michelle Crawshaw always trusted me with fascinating assignments. And my cousin Fiona Rotherham, then editor of Unlimited magazine, made business stories relatable and human. Among the women I look up to today is Shirley Hooper – vice president of World Netball and heavily involved in artistic swimming in New Zealand – and also a cousin. Storytelling runs in our McClean genes. Speaking of, my parents were both great mentors – Dad gave my sister and I our love of watching sport, and Mum taught me how to write. Ashley Stanley and Suzanne McFadden at Eden Park. Photo: Paul Enticott How much has it changed in sports journalism for young women? I honestly don't think the dial has moved enough. It's just as hard to get a job in a sports newsroom now as it was back in 1986. There are some excellent female sports reporters right now – Dana Johannsen at RNZ is a multiple-time sports journalist of the year; the TVNZ sports team has a strong female representation, including the super-talented Jordan Oppert. Yet we're still the minority, and the only way that's going to change is with more female sports editors. Something I've been really proud we've been able to do through LockerRoom is introducing more female voices to sports writing, and giving two women – Ashley Stanley and Merryn Anderson – scholarships to work at Newsroom. Through these wāhine, I discovered I love mentoring. What's your approach when setting out to interview someone? Great question! For a LockerRoom long read (you know all my stories are long!) I research, but not to the point where I think I know everything about the person. There needs to be that element of curiosity, where I want to learn more for the readers, so I can share something new. And I never call it an interview – it's always a chat. And there's no such thing as a stupid question. Suzanne McFadden first wrote about the late Sir Peter Blake's America's Cup red socks superstition. What stories do you look back on with most pride? What makes you happiest about stories you find and publish? During the 1995 America's Cup in San Diego, I wrote a story about Team New Zealand's superstitions on Black Magic – Sir Russell Coutts always the last man on the boat, and Sir Peter Blake wearing his lucky red socks. The rest is history. I've loved telling stories about women that show how resilient they are, and how much more they have to do to be successful. Sportswomen who've returned to the top as mums, especially in the 'From Here to Maternity' series in LockerRoom. What makes me happiest about publishing stories? When one person tells you they read it, and it helped them through something they were facing. Like the RED-S stories we've told over the years. If you can make a difference in one person's life, it's a win. Your RED-S stories opened a lot of people's eyes. How'd that story come about? American athlete Mary Cain broke her silence on the mistreatment she received while she was training under the all-male support team at the Nike Oregon Project, and how the win-at-all-costs mentality had made her ill. She had all the symptoms of RED-S, a syndrome I hadn't really heard of, but it turned out there were Kiwi athletes who weren't fuelling their bodies to match the energy they were expending. The more we wrote about RED-S, the more athletes came forward with their own health battles. Hopefully, we've helped some young women spot the signs in time. Are women in sport getting a fair crack now at representation, competition, professionalism, payment, crowd support, media? Look, the three World Cups hosted by New Zealand in 2022 and '23 were phenomenal for women's sport here – they opened so many eyes to just how entertaining and enthralling women's sport is. The media coverage of women's sport spiked to 28 percent – higher than I ever expected to see in my career. But things have slipped away since then – it's as though we need the big events, like the Olympics, to remind the public how talented our female athletes are. Covid hasn't helped the situation – if there's a funding cut, it's most likely the women's programme in a sport will be the first to feel it. Pay equity in some sports is still a pipe dream, and there aren't enough women's coaches at the top level of most sports. There's still so much work to do. But LockerRoom has had amazing readership, as recently as the past fortnight, which highlights that people still want to read interesting stories about women in sport. McFadden with the great Black Fern Portia Wickliffe Woodman. Photo: Supplied Who would you most want to spend time with, write about – for LockerRoom or for a book? That's a tough question! Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Emma Twigg and Sophie Devine immediately come to mind. Writing a book is hard yakka though, and I don't think I'll be rushing back into one. But the two books I've written, Striking Gold and Honey, are two of my proudest achievements (alongside my two sons, and two grandsons, obviously). And, what was your first thought when Government House sent you word of your MNZM nomination? It was a Friday, I think, and I wasn't feeling 100 percent, so I'd just had a nap. I woke up to an email from Government House and I immediately panicked. I thought it must be a long weekend, and this email was the media list of honour recipients, and I'd quickly have to prepare a LockerRoom story for Monday! Then I opened it, read it, and read it again and bawled my eyes out. A recognition like this is 'ginormous', as my four-year-old grandson would say. I feel incredibly proud, humbled, and grateful to everyone who's guided me along this crazy path, and all who've come with me. And that includes you, Tim. Thank you.
Scoop
10 hours ago
- Scoop
South Auckland Hosts Global Wrestling Milestone: Inaugural NJPW TAMASHII Tag Team Champions To Be Crowned At COLD WAR
Press Release – NJPW TAMASHII From the shadow of Māngere Mountain, New Zealand's place in global wrestling history will be cemented at COLD WAR, where four elite tag teams will battle to become the first-ever NJPW TAMASHII Tag Team Champions. Held at the Māngere Arts Centre; South Auckland's cultural hub, COLD WAR marks a major turning point for New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Oceania brand. The event combines international prestige with strong local roots, showcasing the power of Pacific identity and Japanese Strong Style in one high-stakes tournament. 'COLD WAR tells people what we've known for a long time,' says Toks Fale, founder of the NZ Dojo, also known domestically as Fale Dojo. 'The next generation is already here. And they're ready.' What makes this event historic: • The majority of wrestlers competing are NZ Dojo / Fale Dojo students and graduates, representing different intakes over the past decade. • These athletes have trained under the same system that produced NJPW stars, living proof of how far South Auckland's wrestling scene has come. • TAMASHII's core roster has been shaped entirely through this pathway, making COLD WAR a true celebration of homegrown talent on a global stage. Among them are Oskar Leube (Germany) and Yuto Nakashima (Japan): two returning graduates who began their journey at Fale Dojo in 2019, then sharpened their craft at the NJPW Dojo in Japan and across Europe. They now return to South Auckland not as students, but as contenders. Both are tipped to be future stars of NJPW and TAMASHII. EVENT DETAILS Māngere Arts Centre, South Auckland Friday 4 July 2025 Doors open 6:30 PM Tickets available via Eventfinda: ABOUT NJPW TAMASHII NJPW TAMASHII is the Oceania territory of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, operated by the NZ Dojo. TAMASHII blends Japanese Strong Style with South Pacific discipline, offering a direct pathway from New Zealand and Australia to the global wrestling scene.
