Covid Strikes Again: New Zealand Amateur Championship Postponed

James Hydes and Fionz Xu, NZ Amaeur Champions (NZ Golf)
James Hydes and Fionz Xu, NZ Amaeur Champions 2020 (NZ Golf)

The 119th New Zealand Amateur Championship that was due to be played at the Otago Golf Club from 3 to 7 November has had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the North Island.

After exploring all avenues to deliver an event in 2021, Golf New Zealand said it has been necessary to postpone the event until late 2022.

The uncertainty surrounding Alert Levels, safe regional travel, and the lockdown restrictions for Auckland, Northland and Waikato have led to a very low number of entries and a strong preference of the host venue to postpone to a time when they are able to properly host the championship.

Given there is such a high level of ongoing uncertainty and the potential for significant disruption to the event, Golf New Zealand has made the difficult decision to postpone.

This is the first time since the Second World War that Golf New Zealand’s oldest Championship, first played in 1893, has not been played.

The remaining 2021 events including the DVS Pegasus Open, the Taranaki Open, the Freyberg Masters, the Men’s and Women’s Interprovincials and the New Zealand Age Group Championship are all currently scheduled to proceed as planned but with the Auckland outbreak likely to continue past Christmas changes are expected.

Advertisement Sign up to our NZ Golf Updates