Photo credits - PGA Tour and NZ Open
Millbrook Resort with its two spectacular courses is set for the 2023 New Zealand Open – final stages in play for the 102nd Open, 2-5 March.
And today PaR nz Golfing Holidays – only days away from the 2023 New Zealand Open have released the 2023 Akarua Millbrook Masters – at this iconic venue. Dates 19 – 23 November.
Photo credits - PGA Tour and NZ Ope
Organisers for the 2023 New Zealand Open have released the following, so far:
Millbrook celebrates anniversary with hole-in-one prize: Millbrook Resort, which is hosting the 102nd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport between March 2 - 5, is sponsoring the all-important final hole of the iconic event with an amazing prize to commemorate the resort’s 30-year anniversary.
Any professional or amateur who plays in this year’s tournament and cards a hole-in-one on the 18th hole of The Remarkables course across the first two tournament days - or on the weekend course on Saturday or Sunday - will win a week’s holiday at Millbrook for the next 30 years.
Tournament Organisers, have confirmed a significant increase in the overall prize pool for the 102nd New Zealand Open – up to $1.7 million, an increase of 17% from the last tournament held back in 2020.
The winner of the 102nd New Zealand Open will receive a cheque for $297,000 NZD.
The purse will be made up of $1.65 million for the New Zealand Open Championship and $50,000 for the New Zealand Pro-Am Championship.
This year’s tournament will be the tenth year of the Pro-Am format in Queenstown; the prize money has grown from an initial $450,000 to $1.7 million this year.
Exciting field lining up includes, Jack Thompson (who won the Asian Tour Qualifying School earlier this year), John Lyras, David Micheluzzi , Elvis Smylie, Jason Scrivener, Daniel Hillier (who earned his DP World Tour card after a fantastic 2022), Andy Ogletree (winner of the 2019 US Amateur) and Turk Pettit (2021 NCAA Champion).
Bio Kim number 2 player on the Asian Tour is in the field as is Japan’s Mikumu Horikawa returning for his fifth visit and Yuto Katsuragawa, who sits well inside the world’s top 150 players following an incredible year in 2022.
Special mention to Senior PGA Champion Steven Alker, Scott Hend, Brendan Jones, Wade Ormsby and our own former champion Michael Hendry. And, 2014 New Zealand Open Champion, Dimitrios Papadatos is returning to Queenstown
Defending champion - Brad Kennedy - been waiting since 2020 to have the chance to win his third New Zealand Open title, a feat only eight players have managed in the 101 previous championships.
Sporting Legends Stephen Fleming, Brendon McCullum, Sean Fitzpatrick, Ella Gunson, Hayden Paddon, Jeff Wilson, Sir Ian Botham and Israel Dagg are all set to tee it up in the New Zealand Open Pro-Am event.
The New Zealand Open is a Tier One event co-sanctioned by the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour, and in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.
The tournament will include a field of up to 156 amateurs and 156 professionals playing alongside one another. The professional golfers will compete for the New Zealand Open title whilst simultaneously a pairing of one professional and one amateur will play a best-ball format for the New Zealand Open Pro-Am Championship.
The field will be split across two courses at Millbrook Resort for the first round of competition with all players alternating to the other course for the second round.
After the second round the top 60 + ties professionals will continue to the final two rounds of the tournament to be played at Millbrook Resort.
For the Pro-Am teams, the top 40 pairings will progress to compete in round three at Millbrook Resort, before a third-round cut will see the top 10 Pro-Am teams progress to the final round at Millbrook Resort.