Cooper Moore: Teen golf prodigy reflects on 2025

In association with Elmwood Trading Company, Lesley caught up with one of New Zealand’s brightest golfing talents, seventeen-year-old Cooper Moore, to reflect on a stellar 2025 and look ahead to what’s next.

Cooper shared that while he’s added serious length off the tee, his short game has slipped a little – making that his top priority for 2026 as he continues his upward trajectory.

Big goals, big talent. Watch this space!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Badsball as we are to have another chat with Cooper Moore,
and I've got just that sprung up onto my computer.
Here is this wonderful photo of Cooper after he won
the Christie's Flooring Mount Open at Mount Montanui Golf Club.
He delivered such good golf and claiming his first Ginian
Holmes Charles to a title. I guess one of the

(00:22):
highlights of twenty twenty five for him. Let's find out anymore. Cooper,
good morning, good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
How are we?

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Oh, we're very good. So you've had a fabulous twenty
twenty five your highlights?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yes, I've had got twenty twenty five. I've got to
travel quite a lot and play quite a few international events.
And then, like you said, I won on the Charles
Tour back here in New Zealand, which is probably one
of my one of my top fighlights. I would consider that,
and playing New Gend Open. And then yeah, so.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Where you talked about traveling the world. Where have you
been in twenty twenty five? I guess maybe it would
be really interesting totaling up your ear miles, but tell
us where you've been?

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, I yes, I sort of started the year off
in Australia and played a couple of events over there.
Then I saw of towards when we get closer to
the winter, I start going to like Hong Kong, Japan,
and then obviously I went to the USA in July
and then came back, and then I was in the
Eisenhower team that went to Singapore in October, and then

(01:24):
I played Asia Pacific in the UAE, and then I've
just got back from being in the UAE. So yeah,
I'm pretty busy. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Look, I think I said to somebody at one stage,
I think you've played more tournaments than a professional.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty much like that in a way.
I guess my schedule probably lines up with like the
amount of weeks the pros will place. So yeah, So.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
How has this year twenty twenty five set you up
for next year?

Speaker 2 (01:51):
I guess I've lowered my World Amateur Golf ranking quite
a bit over the last twelve months, which I guess
that's quite a bit in terms of having you been
so I can plan. It just helps me get into
the bigger events. So my plan is next year to
try to spend good time over in Europe and America
and planning the top like elite amateur golf events, which
I yes, at the moment, I'm one hundred and sixty

(02:12):
six in the world for that and I'll likely get
spot into, say ninety percent of those events. Yeah, so
that set me up massively, and then I guess obviously
next year the Prison Prisons Cup is on, so that'd
be I'd like to play in the Junior Prison's Cup
of that, which is top twelve international juniors get in
through world amateur ranking. Osh.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
I was going to say, even one hundred and sixty six.
When you think of how many people are playing golf
around the world and you are in that elite group,
that is phenomenal because you're still at what only seventeen.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, seventeen Yeah, oh fantastic.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
So obviously there are parts of your game, like physically
are you do you think you're stronger now as you're
maturing a little bit.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, definitely getting stronger. I yes, putting on size, which
a little bit is helpful because with distance and everything
that comes along with it, but then it's probably impacted
some of I'd say the areas like short game and
that just I probably don't quite have, probably not as
good as what I used to be in those areas
with short games, so I'm just having to work harder

(03:15):
at it to get better. Wow.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
Well that's an admission, isn't it. And I guess you
need that honesty, don't you to keep improving?

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yes, yes, for sure.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
So just going back to that aUI cup, tell us
about that sixty four and who you were playing with.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Yeah, so that's sort of a new tom that. I
guess the Image Golf Federation had bought out over the
last two years and their plan is to make it
one of the biggest amateur events in the world. So
it was pretty new. I guess I hadn't played it before,
but it was a great event, and I guess it
was quite an international field. They have thirty nine countries
playing in it. And yeah, I was sort of I

(03:50):
think played as well as well I would like it
in the first two rounds, but I guess I shot
sixty four in the fine round, which was quite nice,
and I climbed up to I guess twelfth place, and
I was there with fellow Canary representative Yuki and yeah
we were. We both finished tied twelve. So that was
quite nice in the way.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Oh, very good. When you're traveling around the world though,
I mean, given that you are seventeen, are you traveling
by yourself?

Speaker 2 (04:15):
I probably we travel with a coach quite a lot
with golf and Zellan, but I used to throw out
in New Zealand, I traveled by myself quite a bit.
And then yeah, sort of, Well we're always sort of
in groups, I would say, with like a few of
the boys sort of join up and you travel together,
so you don't really feel too much like by yourself
most of the time.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Well that's good because I was thinking when you were
mentioning all the countries that you've been to. I mean
that is a lot of travel and getting into new places,
getting to the golf course that you're going to be
playing at. That's a lot to deal with. And then
you've got to produce your best Yeah, for sure, amazing.
So what are you going to do for Christmas for
you and your family?

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, I just pretty relaxed. W don't play too much golfing,
sort of spend good time with them and then sort
get back into it straight after Christmas. In terms of
I guess practice plan a bit more and as I
go to Melbourne on the fourth of January for the
Australian Masters of the Amateurs and then Victorian Open, which
is a pro event. So really looking forward to the
end the year started over there.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Well, we're looking forward to watching you over there as well. Gosh,
it's phenomenal what you do get through and a lot
we just obviously you know your parents have done a
fantastic job, and just that you are so focused on
what you want to achieve and how good you are
at golf. People often whenever we're talking golf on our program,
people are always talking about you and your ability to
focus hard on what you're doing, and it's a great

(05:38):
aspirational part of your game that people would love to
be like you. Yes, thank you, and Merry Christmas. Any
big thoughts about what you would like as a big
gift for Christmas?

Speaker 2 (05:51):
Not too much? Not too much actually all right?

Speaker 1 (05:55):
And what about any particular Christmas food?

Speaker 2 (06:01):
I probably don't really Yeah, I don't really have a
Christmas food that I like to much. I probably wouldn't
consider myself like too particular what I sort of asked
for and away with that stuff.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Well, I know that you're very focused on your goalf,
which is brilliant, and we have been very lucky to
catch up with you a couple of times this year
on the All Sport Breakfast. We will be following you
with great interest in Australia and keeping more go really well,
keep being brilliant, Thank you, Thank you very much. What
a champion is. For more from News Talks B Listen

(06:33):
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