Champions back for NZ Open
A total of eight former champions have confirmed to play in next week’s New Zealand Open in Queenstown.
Four Australian winners Jake Higginbottom, Craig Parry, Peter O’Malley and Peter Fowler will be in the field alongside four former Kiwi champions in David Smail, Mahal Pearce, Michael Long and Greg Turner for the event from February 27 to March 2.
The National Open holds a purse of NZ$900,000, will be co-hosted by The Hills and Millbrook, and is expected to be the biggest golf tournament staged in New Zealand for many years.
Parry won the 2002 New Zealand Open staged at the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club which was famous for being the NZ Open that World No.1 Tiger Woods played in.
“Winning the New Zealand Open changed my life,” said Parry.
“With Tiger playing in the field whoever won that event got an invite to the World Golf Championship event.
"Then I happened to win that World Championship event and that put me on the Tour for another few years and it followed up with another win at Doral.
“So I am forever in debt to the New Zealand Open to have another few years on the PGA Tour. If you are talking about money, those two wins earned me probably $3 million."
For more information, visit: www.nzopen.co.nz
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Suspension of all regional trains in Catalonia following two new rail accidents in Spain