Kazuki Higa and Yosuke Asaji, two of Japan’s most successful players on the international stage, have confirmed their participation in the International Series Japan at the beginning of April – in what is The International Series’ season-opening tournament.

The US$2million event is returning to Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba, for the second successive season, and will be played from 2-5 April.

Higa enjoyed a career-defining 2025 campaign, securing consecutive victories at the Shinhan Donghae Open and the Yeangder TPC enroute to winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He also tied for second in the International Series Philippines and ended in 10th place on The International Series Rankings. He has made no secret of his desire to win the Rankings to earn a place on the LIV Golf League.

“Coming so close to an International Series win last year made me realise how clear my goal is this season,” said Higa. “I want to capitalise on the form I’ve built, win on The International Series, and give myself the best opportunity to compete at the top of the Rankings race. To begin that push at home in Japan makes it even more special.”

Yosuke Asaji during the trophy presentation at the Moutai Singapore Open. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

Higa became the first Japanese player to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit and will be joined by former Merit list champions American John Catlin and Sihwan Kim, plus Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Asaji won the Singapore Open last year – a result that helped him end the year second on the Rankings to book his place on this year’s LIV Golf League.

He has made a strong start on the League this season, recording a T17 at LIV Golf Riyadh and T24 at LIV Golf Adelaide.

Said the Japan star: “Events of this calibre don’t come around often in Japan, so to have The International Series back at Caledonian Golf Club is something I’m really proud of.”

He is playing on the League this year with fellow Asian Tour members Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe, the Rankings champion, and Canadian Richard T. Lee and Bjorn Hellgren from Sweden who successfully negotiated LIV Golf Promotions in January.

The Asian Tour’s Filipino ace Miguel Tabuena, third on last year’s Rankings and winner of International Series Philippines, joined the League recently as well.

Daniel Hillier was the pride of his nation today when he won the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort for the first time, following a confident day of frontrunning.

He recorded a two-shot victory over Australian Lucas Herbert, in second place, to become the first New Zealander to win the title in nine years

Hillier, the leader by one at the start of the day, fired a four-under-par 67, for a 22-under total, on the Composite course at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, while Herbert closed with the same score.

Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura (67) and Kerry Mountcastle (71) from New Zealand tied for third, five behind Hillier.

Ikemura, runner up here three years ago, was one of four Asian Tour members in the top nine. The others were Australian Travis Smyth (68) who finished alone in fifth, while Sweden’s Charlie Lindh (67) and Wade Ormsby (70) from Australia were in a group who tied for sixth.

With Hillier already exempt for The Open, Herbert got his wish and earned the invite to the game’s oldest Major – as the event is part of the Open Qualifying Series. It was one of the main reasons why the Australian competed this week.

Daniel Hillier. Picture by Chris Symes/www.photosport.nz.

Hillier was in control the whole day. He made birdie on the ninth to reach 20 under for the first time and move two ahead of Herbert. He proceeded to drop a shot at the next before restoring his two-shot cushion with a birdie on 11. He finished it off by making birdies on 12 and 17.

The win is the perfect wedding present as his tied the knot last weekend and it completed a remarkable journey for him as he is a two-time winner of the Bledisloe Cup, which goes to the leading amateur in the event each year, in 2016 and 2018.

“I think this is going to be one of the best days of my life forever,” said Hillier.

“I don’t know what number New Zealand Open this is for me, but ever since I started playing it, it was the one I wanted to get.

“I’m so stoked I managed to do it today. Everything that came out afterwards was just pure emotion.”

The most recent Kiwi winner of the event had been Michael Hendry back in 2017, also at Millbrook Resort.

For LIV Golf star Herbert it will mark the sixth time he will play in The Open. He was thrilled to secure it while also full of praise for Hillier.

He said: “I thought it was a nice thing to look at and see Dan in his second week of marriage winning his National Open. I don’t know his life gets that much better for him.”

Lucas Herbert recieves his Open flag from former Open winners Ian Baker-Finch and Sir Bob Charles. Pictures by Chris Symes/ www.photosport.nz

The Asian Tour charts course for Japan next for the first event of the season on The International Series – the top-tier of events that provide a pathway to the LIV Golf League via The International Series Rankings.

The International Series Japan returns to Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba from 2-5 April – offering total prizemoney of US$2million.

Charlie Lindh, the only Swede in the field here at the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort, recorded arguably his best result on the Asian Tour when he tied for sixth today.

He closed with a four-under-par 67 on the Composite course at Millbrook Resort to finish a commendable 14 under, eight behind the winner Daniel Hillier from New Zealand.

The talented golfer tied for third in the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open last year, but this week’s result, in one of golf’s oldest and most prestigious National Opens, ranks as one of the finest of his career.

“Perhaps, maybe it is, I don’t really know,” he said.

“I mean, I know I’m playing good at the moment. I’m gonna be doing that for the rest of the season, because I’m not injured anymore, which I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.”

He just missed an eagle putt on the par-five 17^th which would have made the week even sweeter before securing a four.

“I mean, it was tough out there today, but it was a lot of fun,” he said.

“I’ve had a big and an awesome crowd following me all week just because I managed to get a great guy on the bag. So, it’s been awesome.”

Lindh has been playing on the Asian Tour for the past two years after finishing sixth at Qualifying School. He went on to comfortably keep his card, finishing 44th on the Order of Merit, the exact same position he ended in last year.

He said: “I’ve put in the work and, like, for the last whatever, since winter, I’ve been able to practice the way I want to. We haven’t been really able to do for the last two years.”

The Swede went out of bounds twice on the first two days, saying he really wanted “to do those two shots over again”.

The 28-year-old explained a grip change has played a major role in his fine form of late. The change has been so effective, he commented he is keeping it “a secret”.

He tied for 15th in the season-opening Philippine Golf Championship at the start of the month and confirmed he will play in the next event on Tour, the International Series Japan, but for now he added: “I mean, just get home safe. I have got three flights to catch tomorrow, and I’m not really looking forward to them.”

Australian Lucas Herbert, a winner last year on the Asian Tour, put himself in position to add to that by finishing on the shoulder of the leaders after round three of the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort today.

The tournament’s star attraction shot the second lowest round of the week, a nine-under-par 62 on Millbrook Resort’s Composite layout to move to 16-under, two behind the leader Daniel Hillier from New Zealand.

Hillier, another of the event’s favourites, shot a 64, thanks to brilliant eagle, birdie finish – in the second event of the season on the Asian Tour, which is jointly sanctioned with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.

Australian Curtis Luck (63) and New Zealand’s Kerry Mountcastle (64) are in a tie for second, one behind the frontrunner.

Herbert won the International Series Japan last year on the Asian Tour, for his sixth international victory and will be expected to push Hillier all the way tomorrow.

Daniel Hillier. Picture courtesy Photosport.

The LIV Golf star, who plays for Ripper GC on the League, was three over for three holes on the first day but has got progressively better after every day, shooting 70, 65 and 62.

“We are somewhere near going into tomorrow,” said the 30-year-old.

“It is nice to get playing some good golf and be up and around the lead going into Sunday.”

He was bogey-free today, making five birdies on the front and four on the back.

He said: “Story of my last, I think four tournaments. Have got off to a shaky start and had to fight it back from the oblivion. So, it’s good to get back, sort of in with a look in the top.”

When asked how he would prepare for championship Sunday he explained: “I will go home and kind of decompress a little bit, and then just, yeah, just … I’m gonna say a heap of cliche stuff here that is not gonna be any fun for you guys as journalists, but literally, just like, stick to processes and do the things that I’ve done for the last 53 holes or 51 holes to get myself back in this position.”

Said Hillier: “That was a crazy last few holes. I didn’t have my best early on. It was one of those days and I had to stay patient. I knew there were a couple of par-fives I could take advantage of later in the piece. Thankfully I could do that and pretty cool to get one at the last as well in front of that massive crowd.”

He will attempt to become first Kiwi to win the event since 2017.

New Zealand amateur Yuki Miya, who started the third round in the lead, returned a 70 and is 13-under in fifth.

He is tied with a trio of Asian Tour members: Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura, in with a 63, and Australians Travis Smyth and Wade Ormsby, who both fired 69s.

As well as the New Zealand Open title on the line tomorrow, a place in The Open at Royal Birkdale in the summer is also up for grabs as the prestigious event is part of the Open Qualifying Series.

Asian Tour stars Travis Smyth and Wade Ormsby from Australia are in prime position to mount a serious challenge for the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort this weekend.

Smyth carded a brilliant eight-under-par 63 today and Ormsby a 65 on the Remarkables course at Millbrook Resort to finish the second round one behind the leader – New Zealand amateur Yuki Miya.

Miya shot a 67 on the Coronets and leads on 12-under – in the second event of the season on the Asian Tour, which is jointly-sanctioned with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.

Smyth, whose 63 is the lowest round of the week, and Ormsby are tied with New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier, who returned a 68, on Remarkables.

Kerry Mountcastle from New Zealand is in fifth following a 64 on Remarkables.

Wade Ormsby.

Asian Tour members Doyeob Mun from Korea and Indian Karandeep Kochhar enjoyed excellent days. Mun is three off the lead while Kochhar is a further shot back, after they both carded 67s on Coronets.

Smyth caught fire at the end storming through by making birdies on his final four holes.

“I don’t like to ever think that any hole is just like a given birdie,” said the 31-year-old.

“They’re all short holes, but you still have to go and hit a good drive, hit a good second, and roll in the putt. So, they were well earned. And just, yeah, pretty stoked.”

Having started on the second nine, he made nine birdies in total and dropped one shot.

After another strong season on the Asian Tour last year he is knocking on the door of a second victory on the Tour, to add to his win at the 2022 Yeangder TPC.

Last season he finished 19^th on the Order of Merit and finished in the top-25 on 12 occasions, only missing two cuts in 17 starts.

He also started this season strongly by finishing third in the season-opening Philippine Golf Championship at the start of the month.

When asked how he is able to consistently perform at a high level he said: “Probably just believing in myself in the sort of high-pressure situations. You know, there’s always a handful of shots that seem difficult that maybe I haven’t pulled off as well in the past. So just sticking to my guns, just believing in myself, you know, giving a red-hot crack at it, and just doing my best.”

Ormsby, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour, completed his round late into the evening. He made birdies on 15 and 17.

A handful of groups will finish their second rounds tomorrow morning.

Karandeep Kochhar showed today why he has arrived here at the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort as one of the highest ranked players on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

He returned a second-round four-under-par 67 on the Coronets course to move into contention on eight under. The Indian is just four off the clubhouse lead being set by New Zealand amateur Yuki Miya, who also fired a 67 on the same course – with the afternoon session still to finish.

Travis Smyth (63), like Kochhar an Asian Tour member, from Australia and New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier (68) are in second place, one behind Miya.

Kochhar is in fourth place on the Merit list, thanks to a fourth-place finish in the season-opening Philippine Golf Championship at the start of the month and after two testing days here it’s clear his game is back on track after a difficult few seasons.

He lost his Asian Tour card in 2024 and fought his way back last year by finishing in the top-10 on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit, which comes with the reward of a Tour card for the ensuing season,

Karandeep Kochhar in action at the Philippine Golf Championship . Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

“I have just stuck to my game plan and its paid off,” said the 26-year-old from Chandigarh.

“2024 was very tough for me. I don’t really know what happened, I felt like I put in the same amount of work. I worked on the same things but it’s just golf I guess. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

“I had a really good 2023, nearly won on The International Series, and so had high expectations for 2024. Things did not pan out the way I had hoped. I worked really hard to get back.”

A three-hour delay yesterday before play started, due to heavy rain, meant that almost half the field were unable to finish their first round by the time it got dark last night at 8.15.

Kochhar was one of those and had to come back early this morning to complete three holes. The inconvenience seemed to have little effect on him as a he birdied two of them before a second round featured an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys.

“I am not going to take any of this for granted. I know what it feels like to lose your card. I have changed nothing, I think it’s just phases,” he said.

“Perhaps the only thing that has changed is my confidence in my putting stroke, that’s got better. That’s helped me make a lot of putts.”

He is also unperturbed by not being able to win the Philippine Golf Championship where he was the third-round leader. He broke the course record on the East Course of Wack Wack Golf & Country Club on day three but shot a 77 on Sunday to finish eight behind the winner Wooyoung Cho from Korea.

He explained: “What’s done is done. If someone would have told me I would finish fourth I the first event of the year and be in contention here I would have taken it.

“I think I showed a lot of good signs in the Philippines. Even when I didn’t play well on the last day it was not much to do with me. I was unlucky here and there, but the game still felt good. I felt I didn’t really crack under pressure.”

He won in Egypt on the ADT last year and with what he says is a new-found confidence with his putting stroke Kochhar might well be in the thick of the action comes Sunday afternoon.

The New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort is joint sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour. It is the second event of the season on the Asian Tour.

New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier [main picture] and his compatriot Yuki Miya, an amateur, secured the first-round lead in the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort this morning.

They were among the afternoon session unable to finish yesterday, following a three-hour delay to the start caused by inclement weather, but returned with a vengeance early today carding eight-under-par 63s.

Hillier, one of the favourites for the title, played the Coronets course here at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, while Miya was on the Remarkables.

They were both bogey-free, with Hillier making birdie on four of the last six and Miya, on three of the last five. They are attempting to become the first Kiwis to win the title since Micheal Hendry in 2017.

They switch courses for today’s second round, which is already underway.

Australian Matias Sanchez, who finished as the clubhouse leader yesterday following a 64 on the Remarkables, is next best placed, while his countryman Curtis Luck also finished his round this morning and came in with a 65 on Coronets.

In joint fifth position are American Kevin Na, Wade Ormsby from Australia and Korean Doyeob Mun, following 66s.

Picture courtesy Photosport.

Australian Matias Sanchez shot a seven-under-par 64 on the Remarkables course in fading light at the end of a long day to take the clubhouse lead in the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort today.

He leads from American Kevin Na, who returned a 66 on the same course, and Wade Ormsby from Australia – also in with a 66, but on the Coronets layout.

On a wet and cold opening day the start was delayed by three hours because of heavy rain – that drenched the courses. Nearly half of the field were unable to complete their rounds when play was suspended due to darkness at 20:15 local time in New Zealand. Round one will resume at 07:40am tomorrow.

Kiwi amateur Yuki Miya was the leading player still on the course, on six-under-par with five holes left to play.

Sanchez, who just managed to hole his last putt at 8.26pm, was bogey-free and made four birdies on the front and three on the back.

Kevin Na. Picture by Michael Thomas/Photosport.

“I was just really happy to get it done, get the round in,” said the Australian, winner of the Webex Players Series South Australia last October.

“This [event] is right up there, so to do it here, it’s really special, but I know it’s a quarter of the way down. It doesn’t really mean a whole lot.”

Na was Rookie of the Year on the Asian Tour 24 years ago and today showed he still has what it takes.

The American, who played on the LIV Golf League the past four years following a 19-year career on the PGA Tour, was also bogey free and made five birdies to roll back the years.

He was 19 years old when he won the Volvo Masters on the Asian Tour to help become Rookie of the Year in 2002, and this week at the age of 42 he will attempt to claim his second title on the Tour – in an event jointly sanctioned with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.

“I haven’t played competition golf in three months or so, maybe longer, but I feel like there’s a good energy, there’s a positive energy and I’m happy.” he said.

“Mind is fresh and I feel like I have a chance to enjoy golf more.”

Wade Ormsby.

Ormsby, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour including most recently at last year’s Jakarta International Championship, is one of the few among the frontrunners who played the Coronets.  He’ll be hoping to take advantage of switching to the Remarkables tomorrow.

He said: “I’ve never won on the Aussie tour and that’s something that I’ve always wanted to try and do.

“It’s nice to put myself towards the pointy end early in the week.”

Kazuma Kobori is alone in sixth place following a 67. New Zealand’s rising young star, who like Na started on the back nine on the Remarkables, was tied for the lead in the first session on five under playing his last, the par-three ninth, but found water off the tee and closed with a bogey. Earlier the 24-year-old had aced the par-three fourth.

“It was kind of unexpected to get (another) one so soon,” Kobori said of his second hole in one of the season, following his first at the Australian PGA Championship.

“You don’t really expect to hole it on that hole, especially four-iron in hand in these conditions.”

Steven Alker, New Zealand’s 54-year-old 10-time winner on the Champions Tour, Korea’s Bio Kim, Australians Brad Kennedy, Declan O’Donovan and Tim Hart plus Japan’s Ryosuke Kinoshita, Ren Yonezawa and Naoyuki Kataoka are next best placed following 68s.

Twelve months on from his emotionally charged victory in the New Zealand Open, Ryan Peake [main picture] says he is a far better golfer after capitalising on increased playing opportunities and the chance to play with some of the greats of the game.

He begins his title defence today at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown and despite a year of disappointing performances, the lefthander feels his game in a good place.

“Obviously, it was well documented that it [last year’s victory] was life changing for me,” said the Australian, who served a five-year stint in prison a decade earlier for assault.

“So that created a pretty full on year, obviously between Asia and the European Tour. So, you know, just still, I guess, trying to find my feet. You know, it obviously elevated me a lot quicker than our intentions were.

“I guess I missed a couple stages of the transition side of things, which probably led to the results side of things. They haven’t been where we wanted them, but in reality, they’re probably exactly where they should be. But results aside, I’m a much better golfer than I was when I won this event a year ago.”

Ryan Peake tees off as Phil Mickelson looks on at last year’s Open. Picture by Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

His victory earned him an Asian Tour card, remarkably in what was his very first start on the Tour. He played 13 events during the season and finished the year 26^th on the Order of Merit. His next best result was T29 in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, while he missed the cut on six occasions.

“You know, game feels good. There’s been lots of progression, just the results haven’t shown, so I know it’s very close, and maybe this week is the week that it all clicks again,” he said.

“I’ve just had lots of learning experience, all that stuff that I missed out on from the previous years, when I wasn’t playing competitive golf.”

Winning last year also earned him a place in The Open championship, as like this week, the event was part of the Open Qualifying Series.

He played the first two rounds with six-time Major winner Phil Mickelson from the United States, and although he missed the cut the experience left a lasting memory with him.

“Playing at a high level against, you know, with world class players you see how things are done different. You kind of spot things. You pick up on it. Kind of, you remember it,” explained the 32-year-old from Perth.

“Obviously, Phil Mickelson at The Open, someone that you idolise growing up, and that was more just a veteran experience from him. If he does hit a bad shot, I mean, it’s not awful, but he just gets himself straight back in the hole with the next one.

Peake in action at last year’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters. Picture by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.

“And that’s something that I’m not quite at the stage yet. If I hit a bad shot, it’s about trying to get straight back into the hole, and that’s what those good guys do. I’ve seen that you don’t actually have to be great out there. You’ve just got to be good.”

Poor weather this morning, that saw heavy rain drench the course, delayed the start of the first round by three hours meaning Peake starts his defence at 3.51pm on the Coronet course.

Japan’s Kazuki Higa and Ian Snyman from South Africa were paired together in the penultimate group on a gripping Sunday at the New Zealand Open last year.

The Asian Tour duo narrowly fell short of winning, after finishing tied for second – one shot behind Ryan Peake from Australia.

However, for both players, the disappointment of just missing out was outweighed by being at the heart of the action in an event – which features a Pro-Am component – that they both agree is of one their favourites on Tour.

“So, there’s a lot of history in the New Zealand Open which is attractive to the Japanese pros coming here as well as the amateurs,” said Higa, speaking at a press conference with Snyman this week.

“And with the unique format of combining the professionals and the amateurs together, it adds a special sort of ambience and flavour to the tournament, and it’s quite different to what they have in other countries.”

Millbrook Resort, the popular venue for the event since 2014, is set in a stunning alpine amphitheatre. It spans 650 acres of the Wakatipu Basin – a glacial valley bordered by the Crown Range, The Remarkables mountains and Lake Wakatipu.

Ian Snyman.

It’s one of the most beautiful settings in the game.

Added reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Higa: “Of course, the scenery is outstanding, and that’s attractive to the players and their partners, too. For a lot of the players, the chance to come to New Zealand, to come to Queenstown and to play here, is what they really look forward to.”

Snyman, who also finished equal sixth here two years ago, there are multiple reasons why he has fallen in love with the place.

“There are quite a few reasons for me, personally. My first year, I got introduced to the host family. We’ve just made this trip so memorable,” he said.

“I played with a beekeeper hat. It’s a funny big hat with a flap at the back, and I played with it in my first year, and they thought it was kind of cool. And next year, I came and I rocked up on the first tee, and the two host families basically all had the hats on, and they had team Snyman on the back, and I nearly started crying before I did my tee shot. So that’s one of the reasons.”

He has also made the most of the opportunity to go flying fishing and jet boating.

He added: “I mean, it’s on my top three, if not … I’m an ocean guy, to be honest with you guys, but it’s top three for my of all time favourite places I’ve been. Just the natural beauty, the air. It’s just different here, and then obviously the fans, the golf course – we get a great turnout.”

Kazuki Higa picture playing last year.

The famous par-three 18^th, seen of some many close finishes, is another standout feature.

“This finishing hole is awesome. It reminds me a little bit about the Waste Management championship. It’s like a mini one of that. So yeah, and the weather, the weather’s been awesome,” he explains.

“We’re so used to playing in extreme heat in in Asia, so coming out here and just being at the ideal temperature is pretty special. So, yeah, there’s a lot of reasons, and probably a couple that I didn’t mention now.”

Both players shot 66s in the final round lead year, while Australian Jack Thompson stormed through with three birdies in the last five to join them in second.

Said Snyman: “I would definitely say that it was a fight out there the whole day. Obviously, we didn’t know what Ryan was doing behind us. We could peek on a scoreboard every now and then, but we were battling it out there, giving blow by blow, making birdies. We didn’t have many blemishes that day, which was nice. We were kind of feeding off each other. And I mean, we both had a chance coming down the stretch. We both had birdie putts on the last hole. I had a bit of a shorter one, and unfortunately, mine lipped out. But we’re back, and we’re gonna give it our best this year.”

Pictures courtesy Photosport.