The 104th New Zealand Open begins tomorrow (Thursday) at Queenstown’s Millbrook Resort, where professionals and amateurs will compete for the prestigious Brodie Breeze trophy.
Defending champion Brendan Jones of Australia reflects on the significance of his 2023 victory: “Some of the names on the trophy are pretty incredible, and knowing that I’ve got mine there now, I just feel like I’m a foot taller than I actually am. It’s my one and only national open that I’ve ever won, so for me it’s very, very special.”
New Zealand’s Steven Alker, who first competed in the tournament as a schoolboy amateur in 1989, acknowledges that his opportunities to play in his home country’s open are becoming limited as he continues his career on the PGA Tour Champions. Despite never having won the event, Alker appreciates its unique format: “Not too many tournaments are played as a pro-am format, so it’s quite unique. We’ve got an open championship for the country that is played as a pro-am format. Where we play it and what we’re doing with the format, it goes global, and I think that is huge for the event.”
Both Jones and Alker will compete on the PGA Tour Champions in 2025 and admit they’re still finding their form early in the season.
“I’m rusty,” Jones said. “Played first event last week in Sydney and missed the cut by plenty, so there’s a bit to work on. But this time of the year I’m always fresh, and it doesn’t generally take me a lot to get back to where I want to be. I’ve got some pretty exciting times ahead. Hopefully, the enthusiasm that I’ve got for the game right now is going to be enough.”
Alker, who finished second at the PGA Tour Champions event in Morocco earlier this month, feels positive heading into the tournament: “I’ve got some good vibes and a game not quite where I want it, but it’s early season. You’re trying to feel out where you’re at and get into some form.”
This year marks the first time the New Zealand Open has been included in the Open Qualifying Series, with the winner earning a spot at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July. With a $2 million prize purse, the tournament has attracted what many consider the strongest professional field in recent history.
New Zealand Players in the Field: Ben Campbell, Charlie Hillier, Cooper Moore (a), Daniel Hillier, Danny Lee, Denzel Ieremia, Dongwoo Kang, James Tauariki, Jayden Ford, Josh Geary, Joshua Bai (a), Kerry Mountcastle, Kingston Taylor-Voyle (a), Mark Brown, Mason Lee, Micah Dickinson, Michael Hendry, Nick Voke, Pieter Zwart, Robby Turnbull (a), Sam Jones, Steven Alker, Sunjin Yeo, Tyler Hodge, Tyler Wood
