By Joy Chakravarty
“There are no snakes or gators in New Zealand. We have left them all behind on that side of the Tasman Sea!” the chatty cab driver in Auckland informed us.
Snakes? He may be right. Gators? Now that is a different matter altogether.
There are two very hungry ones lurking at Te Arai Links at this week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship – Zach Swanwick and Joshua Bai. Both are from New Zealand, both are University of Florida Juniors, and both are key members of the Florida Gators men’s team.
The 20-year-old Swanwick is the second-highest ranked player in the field (23rd on the World Amateur Golf Ranking) and is the one walking with a bull’s-eye on his back. Swanwick insists the pressure doesn’t bother him.
“It’s a good feeling. It’s good to know that I am ranked up there, but at the end of the day, I know this is golf. I can only control what I can control,” explains Swanwick, who reached the Round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur Championship and the Round of 16 in the Western Amateur recently.
“I have got my coach (Andrew Henare) on the bag, and he’s from Napier, my home course. So, I just want to play the best golf and have fun.”
Swanwick acknowledges that the possibility of getting an invite to the Masters and The 155th Open at St Andrews is a massive reward, but he is more focused on what he is getting this week.
“Those will be a bonus if I play well. But I’m really looking forward to this week because now that I have moved to the U.S., it’s not often that I get to play in my home country and in a tournament like this,” says Swanwick, who is playing in his second AAC after finishing tied 12th in the 2023 edition at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
Zackary Swanwick of New Zealand plays a stroke during the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club
2023 AAC
“We are playing in New Zealand. We’re gonna have New Zealand fans out here. My family will come out here, and I don’t see them very often. It will be cool for them to come out here and watch me play golf. For some of them, it will be the first time. So, this tournament means a lot to me.”
A strong ball-striker, Swanwick may not have played Te Arai Links much, but he prepared on a golf course equally renowned for its windy conditions and rugged terrain – Cape Kidnappers.
“I’ve played Te Arai Links only once before,” he says. “But we have a course which is kind of similar back home called Cape Kidnappers. It’s also right on the coast and it gets pretty windy out there. Played there a few times when I was back home over winter.
“But I love this golf course, and I love the wind. You get to play different shots, and it makes the game a bit more fun.
“I think to win here, you just need a calm head. Things can go wrong pretty quickly out there. There are a lot of waste areas and a lot of wind, and one bad shot can lead to a lot of shots. I think keeping a calm head and just accepting where the ball goes will be the key.
“Once you’ve hit the ball, it’s pretty hard to control what it does in this wind. I just want to be committed to my shots.”
Being part of the Gators has been a big part of Swanwick’s development over the past couple of years, and he is quick to admit that.
“They have been huge. We have two great coaches. One who played on the PGA Tour for many years (Dudley Hart), and JC Deacon. They’re great guys and they have been huge mentors for me. I am just learning what they’ve done and trying to pick up small skills to get better. And you can approach them for just about anything,” says Swanwick.
“I’ve really enjoyed my stay there for the past two and a half years, and I am going to enjoy the rest of the years there. With Josh and me here, we have got a little bit of competition between them, but I’m sure they’ll be following and supporting both of us.”
New Zealand golf is not short on motivation this year, following Ryan Fox’s stunning win at The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale.
“New Zealand golf is on such a high. I mean, we have got Ryan, and we have young guys like Kazuma (Kobori) and Dan Hillier out on the big stages,” he explains.
“It was really cool to see him win The Open. Ryan Fox is a New Zealand hero right now. We were playing the summer series, and we were all on the range. Both Josh and I watched him finish out. He is a big role model for guys coming up, just to show that it is possible to come from New Zealand and go out and play on the Tour and achieve your dreams.”
