Kobori and Xu Head Strong New Zealand Teams

Auckland, New Zealand: Kazuma Kobori and Fiona Xu will spearhead New Zealand’s bid for glory at the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships in Abu Dhabi.

In the 33rd men’s championship for the Eisenhower Trophy from October 18-21, Kobori will be joined by Jayden Ford and left-handed Sam Jones.

For the following week’s (October 25-28) 30th women’s championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy, Xu will once more link up with Vivian Lu and Eunseo Choi.

The same trio represented New Zealand at last year’s Espirito Santo Trophy and also finished runners-up in the 2022 Queen Sirikit Cup.

Gregg Thorpe, Golf New Zealand’s High Performance Manager, said: “Golf New Zealand has a proud history in both of these events. We’re fortunate to have several players vying for team selection, and we know the six selected are looking forward to competing in Abu Dhabi.”

The championship will feature the best two of three scores counting toward the team score each day.

In what will be the first time the World Amateur Team Championships have been hosted in the Middle East, New Zealand will be seeking a second Eisenhower Trophy victory, having won in 1992.

The best performance from the country’s women came in 1982 and 1990 when they finished second on both occasions.

Kobori will be looking to continue his rich vein of form that saw him win this month’s Western Amateur in the United States and top the standings in the Elite Amateur Series.

Kobori also won the Australian Amateur Championship this year and is currently 29th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

Following his World Amateur debut in 2022, Jones won the Carrus Open and the Jennian Homes Trophy after a consistent year playing on the Jennian Homes Charles Tour. He also won the Autex Muriwai Open this year and is 124th in the WAGR.

Rounding out the trio is Ford, who secured his spot after a series of standout international showings, including a victory at the 2022 Avondale Amateur. Ford’s success in professional events in 2023, including a sixth-place tie at the NSW Open and a 26th place finish at the New Zealand Open, underscores his potential and has seen him rise to 167th in the WAGR.

Among the women, Xu is New Zealand’s top-rated player in 19th position in the WAGR. Her consistent performances in 2023 have seen her secure top-five finishes in the Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs, the Queen Sirikit Cup and the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP).

She’s also performed strongly in professional events and represented the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation in the Solheim Cup-style Patsy Hankins Trophy team match play event against the European Golf Association in Spain at the start of August.

Lu, currently 115th in the WAGR, impressed with her fifth-place finish at the Women’s NSW Open as well as producing solid showings at the Queen Sirikit Cup and Toyota Junior World Cup.

Choi, the 236th ranked player in the WAGR, boasts valuable international experience, having participated in last year’s World Amateur Team Championships and the WAAP.