Japan's 17-year-old Taisei Nagasaki is not competing alone at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in New Zealand: his older brother Koshin has qualified too. In an interview published by the championship on 29 October 2026, the brothers discussed last year's playoff disappointment, their rare time together and a shared strategy at Te Arai Links.
The lesson from Dubai
Taisei led the 2025 championship in Dubai by five strokes heading into the final round but eventually lost in a playoff to Thailand's Fifa Laopakdee. Looking back, he believes he became too focused on the leaderboards and his rival's scores instead of his own round. The disappointment was sharp, although he says he moved past it quickly.
This week's champion earns an invitation to the 2027 Masters and an exemption into The Open at St Andrews. For Taisei, the New Zealand event is another opportunity to pursue the major starts that slipped away a year earlier.
Two brothers, two ambitions
Koshin studies at Tohoku Fukushi University, so the brothers do not often spend extended time together. At Te Arai they share a room and discuss how to approach the course. Koshin recalls watching the Dubai playoff remotely and feeling proud of his brother despite the final result. He also says Taisei's performance gave him extra motivation to reach the Asia-Pacific Amateur himself.
That encouragement does not remove the sporting rivalry. Both have earned their places in the field, and each wants a strong week.
Fairways matter on the South Course
Taisei considers accurate driving a particular priority at Te Arai Links. The sandy waste areas make recovery difficult, while approaches from the fairway offer a better chance of finding positions on its demanding greens. These are the player's course-management observations, not general claims that every links course plays identically.
Taisei then lightens the conversation with jokes about invariably winning the brothers' games at home. His ideal finish? A championship victory for himself and second place for Koshin. The organisers say the Nagasakis are only the second pair of brothers to play the championship together.
The account draws entirely on the championship's genuine 29 October 2026 interview, not an interview conducted by this publication.
