Golf: Revived NZ PGA to be hosted by Auckland

A revived New Zealand PGA Championship, albeit one with a relatively small purse, will provide the entree for the New Zealand Open next year.

The PGA tournament will be held at the Remuera Golf Club on March 5-8, a week before the open in Arrowtown.

It will return to a 72-hole strokeplay format after being held as a pro-am at The Hills in 2012 and 2013, and will have a purse of $125,000.

The PGA, with Holden as a naming sponsor, will bring professional golf to New Zealand's largest city for the first time in seven years.

''We're delighted to bring a tournament of this calibre to Auckland,'' PGA of New Zealand chief executive Duncan Simpson said.

Playing a week before the open would ''ensure a strong field for both events'', Simpson said.

The Remuera club will host at least the next two PGA tournaments.

Club captain Rex Howe is enthusiastic about the potential of the event in the Auckland golf scene and wider afield.

''Remuera has hosted a number of top-level events over the years, including the 1994 New Zealand Open,'' Howe said.

''The club is currently working through a comprehensive course redevelopment programme which will further enhance its championship qualities over the next two to three years.''

Played since 1920, the New Zealand PGA Championship has regularly been a key stop on the PGA Tour of Australasia.

It has featured household names such as Andy Shaw, Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Sir Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, John Lister, Frank Nobilo, Greg Turner and Michael Hendry as champions over the years.

For many years, it was played at Mt Maunganui, coinciding with the New Year holiday but, in recent times, it moved to the South Island, firstly to the Clearwater Golf Club, in Christchurch, and then to The Hills.

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