Lydia Ko to headline return of NZ Women's Open

Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET) and WPGA Tour of Australasia and delivered with the support of New Zealand Major Events and Auckland Council Events, the championship will be staged at Wainui Golf Club, north of Auckland, from March 18-21.

Headlining the field is Dame Lydia Ko, the reigning Olympic champion, LPGA Hall of Fame member and already a three-time winner of the New Zealand Women's Open.

Ko's return to the event she captured in 2013, 2015 and 2016 adds a powerful homecoming narrative to a tournament that has served as a stage for New Zealand's golfing talent to compete alongside the world's best.

“Playing in front of a home crowd in New Zealand is always something really special to me, and I'm thrilled the New Zealand Women's Open is back," Ko said.

"I grew up on the North Shore, so to have an event of this calibre at Wainui, just up the road, makes it feel even more like home.

"To return with the strength of the Ladies European Tour and WPGA Tour of Australasia behind it is fantastic for the game here, and I can't wait to tee it up in March."

The championship will feature a 132-player field competing for a purse of €400,000 ($808,000 NZD).

A welcome event on March 16 and a Pro-Am on March 17 will open the tournament week, with four days of championship golf to follow.

In keeping with the event's role in nurturing homegrown talent, Golf New Zealand has secured places in the field for some of New Zealand’s very best young amateurs and professionals, who are not already exempt, including the winner of the New Zealand Maori Golf Association Nationals Wahine title, ensuring the country's emerging players share the fairways with established international stars.

It also opens an opportunity for alumni from the Lydia Ko Scholarship mentorship programme to join the field, including LET players Amelia Garvey and Momoka Kobori, Epson Tour’s Fiona Xu and NCAA collegiate players Vivian Lu and Eunseo Choi.

The championship will be broadcast on Saturday and Sunday to 94 international markets, including New Zealand, showcasing Wainui Golf Club and New Zealand golf to a global audience.

“We are delighted to welcome the New Zealand Women's Open back to the Ladies European Tour schedule after a ten-year hiatus,” LET CEO Tom Phillips said.

“This announcement underlines our commitment to collaborating with valued partners to offer global opportunities to the world’s best players, whilst inspiring future generations to take up the game.

"New Zealand has a proud history of producing world class talent and passionate, knowledgeable golf fans.

"We look forward to bringing a truly international field of competitors to Wainui Golf Club to celebrate and showcase elite women’s golf on the global stage."

As one of the two co-sanctioning tours, the Ladies European Tour brings the New Zealand Women's Open back onto its schedule for the first time in a decade, reinforcing its ongoing push to expand playing opportunities for its members across the globe.

The championship's return also marks a significant moment for the WPGA Tour of Australasia, which welcomes the New Zealand Women's Open back onto its schedule for the first time since 2017.

WPGA Tour of Australasia chief executive Karen Lunn welcomed the announcement.

“We are delighted to have the NZ Women's Open, presented by Craigs Investment Partners, back on our WPGA Tour schedule for the first time since 2017," she said.

“It is going to be such a great treat for our members to return to Auckland to compete in the tournament next year, and, in particular, for them to have the opportunity to play alongside Lydia and a quality field of international players from the Ladies European Tour.

“Wainui Golf Club will be an incredible host venue for the tournament, and I am sure the crowds will be out in force to get a glimpse of a true icon of New Zealand sport, who first held the NZ Women's Open trophy aloft as a 15-year-old back in 2013.

“We are most grateful to Golf New Zealand for their commitment to this tournament and to all of the event partners and sponsors for their role in bringing it to fruition."

The return of the New Zealand Women's Open also reflects the Government's growing investment in attracting world-class international events to Aotearoa, with the championship's live broadcast to international markets offering significant exposure for the country as a visitor destination.

Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Louise Upston welcomed the announcement and the economic and tourism benefits a global, internationally televised event of this scale brings to Auckland and the wider country.

“Support from the Government’s Major Events Fund reflects the wider value of events like this. Alongside attracting visitors to see Dame Lydia Ko compete in Auckland, the broadcast coverage will showcase our spectacular golf courses and landscapes to global audiences, reinforcing New Zealand’s reputation as a world-class golfing destination,” Minister Upston said.

Already a major partner of Golf New Zealand, the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort and She Loves Golf, Craigs Investment Partners plays an important role in supporting participation and growing the game across the country.

Becoming Presenting Partner of the New Zealand Women's Open is a natural extension of that commitment, strengthening its support of women's golf while helping inspire more women and girls to discover the game.

Craigs Investment Partners Chief Wealth & Markets Officer Jeremy Williamson said the partnership reflects the growing role women play in both golf and in Craigs' own client base.

"We're proud to become Presenting Partner of the New Zealand Women's Open," he said.

"Through She Loves Golf we already see, week in and week out, just how quickly women are taking up this game, and this event gives that momentum a worthy stage.

"Golf has always been a place where relationships are built and confidence grows and we can't think of a better way to back that than standing behind Dame Lydia Ko and the next generation of players coming through behind her."

For Golf New Zealand, the return of the championship is about far more than four days of elite competition. It sits at the heart of the organisation's ambition to grow the women's game across the country.

Golf New Zealand CEO Jeff Latch said: “At Golf New Zealand we have set ourselves a goal of doubling the number of women and girls playing golf in this country, and events like this are exactly how we get there.

“There is nothing quite like seeing the best players in the world up close; watching how they carry themselves, how they compete, and we know that for a young girl standing greenside at Wainui, that experience can be the spark that starts a lifelong love of the game.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our own players, from our leading professionals to the amateurs in the field, to test themselves against the very best in the world right here at home.

"Competing on this stage, in front of New Zealand crowds, is exactly the kind of experience that helps develop the next generation of talent. We can't wait to welcome the field, and the fans, to Wainui in March.”

As the region's cultural, events and destination agency, Tataki Auckland Unlimited, on behalf of Auckland Council, has played a key role in bringing the championship to Auckland, recognising the value a globally televised event of this scale delivers for the city, from visitor spend and international profile to inspiring participation in the game.

Deputy Mayor of Auckland Desley Simpson said: "We're proud to support the return of the New Zealand Women's Open to Auckland through Auckland Council Events.

"With international broadcast coverage and one of the world's best players returning home, it's a great chance to showcase Tamaki Makaurau as a premium golf destination.

"It's also an opportunity to inspire more people, especially women and girls, to give golf a go by seeing the world's best compete right here in Auckland."

The 2027 staging marks the first year of a four-year event agreement between the partners, securing the championship's place on the calendar through to 2030.

But the ambition behind its return stretches well beyond that horizon, with Golf New Zealand and its partners sharing a vision for the New Zealand Women's Open to become an enduring fixture on the national sporting calendar for generations to come.

The championship will also mark a milestone for the host venue.

While Wainui Golf Club previously staged the 2018 Rebel Sport Masters on the PGA Tour of Australasia, the 2027 New Zealand Women's Open will be by far the biggest tournament in the club's history: an internationally co-sanctioned event with a €400,000 purse, a 132-player field and a live global broadcast.

The modern Puddicombe-designed layout, set in rolling rural countryside just north of Auckland and regularly ranked among New Zealand's finest, will take its place on the world stage in March 2027.