Michael Hill New Zealand Open
| Location | Queenstown, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Established | 1907 |
| Course(s) | The Hills Golf Club and Millbrook Resort |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6596m (The Hills), 6560m (Millbrook) |
| Tour(s) |
PGA Tour of Australasia Japan Golf Tour Nationwide Tour (2009–10) European Tour (2005–07) |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | NZ$1,000,000 |
| Aggregate | 262 Rodger Davis (1986) |
 Matthew Griffin
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The ISPS Handa New Zealand Open is the premier men's golf tournament in New Zealand.
In October 2014, BMW Group was announced as the naming rights sponsor for the 2015 BMW New Zealand Open.
The tournament, a tier one event on the PGA Tour of Australasia, will be held from March 10 to 13 at The Hills Golf Course and Millbrook Resort. The purse for the event will be NZ$1,000,000 which makes it one of the most lucrative New Zealand Opens in the history of the event that dates back to 1907.
A professional field of a maximum of 144 players maximum will play the first two rounds alternately at The Hills and Millbrook Resort before the second round cut of 60 and ties. The final two rounds of the championship will be played at The Hills. The BMW New Zealand Pro-Am Championship will run alongside to the main tournament. A maximum of 144 amateurs will partner with a professional and play in a best-ball format. After a second round cut the top 40 pro-am teams will progress to round three at The Hills, with a further cut to the top 10 Pro-Am teams who progress to play in the final round.
Well-known sporting celebrities Ricky Ponting, Stephen Fleming, Allan Border, Jeff Wilson, Mark Richardson, the host of The Amazing Race Phil Keoghan, celebrity chief Josh Emett and American TV personality Chris Judd all featured as celebrities taking part in the 2014 New Zealand Open. Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key also played in the final round of the 2014 New Zealand Open.
The tournament will be broadcast live in New Zealand by Sky Television and also in Japan to eight million homes through the Japan Golf Network.
The BMW New Zealand Open, in addition to being sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia, will continue its strong partnership with the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) in 2015. A total of 15 spaces will once again be reserved for leading JGTO professionals. The winner of the tournament (or, in the event it is won by an existing JGTO member, the leading non-exempt player) will be granted automatic entry into the 2014 Japan Golf Tour Championship and two further Japan Tour tournaments in 2014.
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