Nick Shan: The R&A’s Asia Pacific Assistant Director on the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship and academy

Royal Wellington Golf Club will host the eighth edition of the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific championship from 12-15 February 2026, bringing together the region's elite women amateur golfers competing for starts in three major championships. 

Developed by The R&A and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, the prestigious championship provides a pathway to the international stage. 

Beyond the elite competition, the championship continues its vision to support the development of world-class players in countries throughout the region via the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Academy. 

Nick Shan, The R&A’s Asia Pacific Assistant Director, joined the show to discuss what's going on at the academy. 

“These are experiences money can’t buy.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Royal Wellington Golf Club will host the eighth edition of
the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific Golf Championship from February twelve
to fifteen next year, bringing together the region's elite women
amateur golfers competing for starts in three major championships. Developed
by the RNA and Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the prestigious

(00:33):
Championship provides a pathway to the international stage. The champion
earns life changing opportunities to play in the AIG Women's Open,
the Amundi Avion Championship and the Chevron Championship. Previous Women's
Amateur Asia Pacific participants have also gone on to win
five major championships in just the last eight years. Beyond

(00:56):
the elite competition, the Championship continues its vision to support
the development of world class players in countries throughout the
region via the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific Academy. This was
launched this year. It provides players from emerging golfing nations
with access to world class coaching opportunities more regularly available
to players from larger golfing Nations. The second Academy has

(01:20):
taken place at Royal Wellington this week and has focused
on the Pacific Islands region. Invited players from American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Papua,
New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga and there's a
New Zealand contingent as well. Let's bring in Nick Shan,
Assistant Director Asia Pacific at the R and A. Can
we start with the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific Academy. Nick,

(01:43):
What are these players who have come from all over
the Pacific experienced in the past week or so?

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Well, Jason, They've experienced a fantastic week with experts in
the field of sports science, track man, data analysis, sports psychology,
swing techniques, short game and strength and conditioning in a
week that they've been fortunate enough to spend time at

(02:10):
roy Wellington, which is the venue for the championship. It's
been an eye opening experience for them to firstly receive
all of that information in a week preparing them to
succeed during a tough championship week.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Indeed, I mean eye opening as you say, but it
could also be life change and could you could you
see in some of these young players, you know, these
these light bulbs going off with the with the amazing
experiences that they would never I'm sure have had before.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
Yes, those experiences in terms of the exemptions into the
major championships that Amundy, every Young Championship, that AIG Women's Open,
the Yevon Championship in America, these are experiences many can't buy,
the exemptions which professionals would love to have. So for
any budding young elite amateur as a fantastic prize which

(03:02):
they really just dream off. So actually playing for the
first prize, to have three exemptions into three of the
five professional ladies' major championships is a fantastic goal to Trainagy.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Indeed, I want to talk more about the tournament in
a moment, but in a wider sense, Nick, how big
a goal is building a long term pathway for women's
golf across the Asia Pacific region.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
It's a tall path, Jason, because Asia Pacific is a
mathive region and trying to accommodate players from developing countries
to gain that experience within the academy setting, gaining that
knowledge from all of the experts. It's a long tour order,

(03:48):
but we've started it. And we're going to expand it
across Asia Pacific, trying to give as many players from
developing countries that opportunity.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
And I guess what it also does is when those
players do go back home, they take with them some
knowledge as well, don't they from the week they've just had.
Is that part of it as well that you'd expect
them to you to benefit others in their countries once
they get back.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
Most definitely we want them to share that knowledge with
either younger budding players that are developing in their country.
And if the players who've come out of the academy
become those players, those store warts which the younger players
can look up to in terms of achievements, or simply
just being able to participate in the Women's Amitasia Pacific,

(04:34):
that's an achievement in its own which we'd like to
profile for younger players in the developing countries.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yeah, well, the Academy is a great part of this.
Let's talk about the tournament now in February next year.
Very much looking forward to having this at Royal Wellington
Golf Club, developed by the RNA and Asia Pacific Golf Confederation.
Of course, tell us about this tournament how big do
you expect it to be?

Speaker 3 (04:57):
Well, Jason, it's the most televised female amateur tournament in
the world. It's the only championship which has three exemptions
into three professional major championships, and it's a very young championship.
We've had seven editions. We're going to be staging the

(05:18):
eighth at roy Wellington, a classic parkland layout. We were
very thankful for the support from New Zealand Major Events
and the Wellington Council as well as Golf New Zealand
and we look forward to staging a special event during
that week in February.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Will you have to make many adjustments to the course?
Are there are there alterations that are needed or is
the course pretty much good to go as it is.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
It's really good to go as it is. It's being
well kept and maintained by John Sprague's Sam and his team,
overseen by their committee. It's just a classic parkland layout.
We'll have the greens running at it's probably about ten
on the stump meter and at that time of the
year it will already be a test for all the player.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
Yeah, I'll look at some I know Royal Wellington it's
a terrific place to spend a day playing golf, let
alone watching some of the top amateurs from around the world.
So I say here, I mean you've got ambitious targets
for attendance, hoping to get ten thousand through the gates
across the four days.

Speaker 3 (06:26):
Yes, we're going to have a Royal Village supported by
roy Wellington and Golf New Zealand. There's going to be
a lot of fun games and activities as well as
food trucks. So we welcome golfers, nine golfers, juniors, adults
to come. There will be sessions getting people who don't

(06:47):
know golf putting a club in their hand and really
getting them excited about trying the sport out. So everybody's
most welcome to come out to Royal Linton into Upper
Hut during those during that championship week, I know.

Speaker 2 (07:01):
You'll get a lot of interest in that. February twelve
through fifteen, the eighth edition of the Women's Amateur Asia
Pacific Championship. Nick, thanks for joining us with an update.
Look forward to catching up again when the new year
rolls around.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
Appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Thank you, Jason, No, thank you Nick. Nick Shan, their
assistant Director Asia Pacific at the r and A. For
those in the Wellington region, that's a four day period
to put a ring around for the golf fans. Twelve
to fifteen February next year, the Royal Wellington Golf Club
hosting the eighth edition of the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific Championship.

Speaker 1 (07:34):
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