The New Zealand Open came to a thrilling conclusion at the beginning of the month as the second event on the 2026 Asian Tour schedule. Daniel Hillier’s victory – the first by a Kiwi in nine years – was one of the many high points that again helped the eighth oldest National Open in the game make such a huge impact. The Asian Tour’s Simon Wilson reports on why the event continues to be recognised as one of THE tournaments of the season.

You know you are doing something right if surf legend Kelly Slater accepts an invitation to play in your golf tournament.

The American’s participation adds a whole new level of credibility, and coolness – especially when it comes to the game of golf.

The Pro-Am format is a unique and central part of the New Zealand Open and alongside Slater, a host of other Ambassadors add a little extra stardust to the already spectacular event. Former cricket stars Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming, former number one ranked tennis player Ash Barty, and All Black legend Israel Dagg plus Hollywood actor Michael Peña all bring a unique aspect to the tournament.

Tournament Director Michael Glading.

It is part of the reason why each year the New Zealand Open receives praise the size of the mountain ranges that surround the host venue Millbrook Resort in Queenstown.

No need for the brochure

Michael Glading, Tournament Director, best sums up the current health of the Open, which this year celebrated its 105^th edition: “There was a time when I would travel to other events with a brochure to help promote the event and encourage players to enter. I would almost point on the map showing where the hell we lived. That’s all changed, I don’t need to do that anymore.

“It’s the reputational thing that we’ve built that is really helpful. And so instead of the old days where you’d have to say, come on, please come – you know, no, we’re not paying you, but please come. Now it’s like, wow, ‘I’m in’. So, it’s that’s been quite a change.”

Millbrook Resort with its stunning alpine scenery and two world class golf courses – designed by Sir Bob Charles and Greg Turner, both former New Zealand Open champions, along with architect Scott Macpherson – provides a stunning stage for the event to be delivered.

There’s also the incredible food, warm and welcoming people and the beauty of nearby Arrowtown and Queenstown – known as the adventure capital of New Zealand.

Daniel Hillier with the Brodie Breeze Trophy.

The breathtaking fictional land portrayed in the Lord of the Rings movies is actually a reality, and possibly the cleanest air golfers will ever breathe.

Asian reach

Importantly, the event also maintains strong ties with the Asia-Pacific region with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour as co-sanction partners since 2018.

There is also a strong presence from Japan as the tournament is staged in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour – an important relationship given the Japanese ownership of Millbrook Resort through the Ishii family.

In a starting field of 156, the Asian Tour was represented by 51 players from 17 different nationalities.

Furthermore, Asian Tour Media handles the international television distribution which sees the tournament delivered to over 600 million households worldwide

It is also the only Asian Tour event in the Southern Hemisphere, but the trip there is well worth it, and Glading knows the importance of embracing the region as a whole.

He said: “The Asian Tour adds huge diversity and quality to our field; the fact that our top 10 this year (including ties) included four Asian Tour players is testament to this.

“We’ve always seen ourselves as a pan-Asia event. Obviously, we’ve been helped with the recruitment into Japan this year.  We’ve had nine out of the top 12 from the Japan Tour. So that’s the first time we’ve had that strength.

The New Zealand Open trophy and the Claret Jug.

“The Australasian Tour has always been our bedrock, and if we look at the winners over the last recent years, we can see why, but our relationship with the Asian Tour just keeps getting stronger and stronger. And again, the strength of field out of Asia is fantastic. So, you really couldn’t be happier with where we sit.”

Put in a suitcase

There’s no doubt that if the tournament was a full field on the Asian Tour there’s every chance that, with the greater voting capacity, it would earn Tournament of the Year honours.

“This is probably one of the favorite weeks of the year for our players,” says David Rollo, Chief Operating Officer, Asian Tour.

“We’d like to put this in a suitcase and take it around with us across Asia. I don’t quite know how they keep doing it, but the attention to detail is first class. And there’s just, you know, additions every year. The Landing this year, obviously, was a new structure on the 18^th tee for fans – so I take my hat off to all of them and their team for the fantastic job that they do.”

Despite the strong presence of players from across the region, it was New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier who won the tournament, by two from Australian Lucas Herbert. Hillier became the first Kiwi champion since Michael Hendry raised the event’s famous trophy – called the Brodie Breeze Trophy – in 2017.

Herbert, a star of the LIV Golf League and another regular visitor to the event, enjoyed the consolation of earning a place in this year’s Open Championship, as the event was part of the Open Qualifying Series (OQS). Hillier had already qualified for the game’s oldest Major.

Being part of the OQS for the past two years is another feather in the cap for a tournament that is so much more than a day job for Glading.

An aerial view of the Millbrook Resort.

He has been Tournament Director since 2012, his father won the event in 1946 and again the following year, both times as an amateur, and he caddied for Sir Bob Charles when he claimed his fourth and final New Zealand Open in 1973.

“Just one other quick anecdotal thing about recruitment,” he adds.

“Dominic Foos was tipped as somebody we should definitely try and get after winning the SJM Macao Open. I went up to Singapore, and Dominic was on the putting green. I called him over, and he didn’t know who the hell I was, and introduced myself and said, I’m from the New Zealand Open.

“I’m trying to get him to come down to New Zealand. The first thing he says to me, ‘oh, yeah, man, one of the first things I thought of [after winning Macao] was, wow, now I can get to the New Zealand Open’. Well, that’s a hard sell, isn’t it?”

Pictures courtesy Photosport.