Organisers yesterday confirmed Japan's Hiroshi Iwata has been added to the field for the New Zealand Open, and will be the highest-ranked player in the field since 2006.
The 34-year-old finished 2014 ranked No 67 in the world, having made a massive rise from being ranked No 466 this time last year.
Iwata played in the New Zealand Open last year and finished 16 shots off the winner.
His meteoric rise came after a sensational season on the Japan Tour.
He picked up his maiden victory at the Fujisankei Classic and added another nine top-10 placings, including three runner-up finishes.
He is now ranked No 4 in Japan.
His standout result of the year came at the star-studded HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai.
Iwata was just a shot off the lead with one round to play and went on to finish tied for third, leaving the likes of Martin Kaymer, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Jordan Spieth trailing in his wake, only being beaten by another storming Bubba Watson finish.
Iwata is eying a place on the PGA Tour soon, and is hoping to play in an event in Puerto Rico this week.
He is looking forward to playing in Queenstown.
''I'm very excited about the prospect of how good I can play on the beautiful courses in Queenstown,'' he said.
''I feel refreshed by the nature, fresh air and beautiful scenery.''
Iwata's inclusion further strengthens what is an impressive line-up, including two former top-100 players in Australians Marcus Fraser and Brendan Jones.
The two Australians have knocked on the door of the top 50 in the world in the past couple of years, but both have been undone by injury.
Fraser had surgery on a career threatening hand injury in early 2014, ruling him out of tournament play for more than six months.
However, he is now fully fit and showed he is back to his best when finishing in a share of second place at the prestigious Thailand Championship in December, and third in last week's Indian Open.
Likewise, Jones is on the way up, after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The Japan Tour veteran has twice had surgery on a wrist problem, missing all but one event from September 2013 to June last year as a result.
However, he still managed to finish in the top 40 on the 2014 money list, despite his truncated schedule.
Meanwhile, Arrowtown golfer Erwin Haefliger, who plays off a 16.2 handicap, will play in the open after winning a competition organised by The Hills owner Michael Hill.
Clubs in the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago area had a special day recently, when golfers were entered in a draw and a winner was selected.
Haefliger, originally from Switzerland and a member of the Arrowtown Golf Club for 18 months, was picked for the $10,000 big prize after a great day on his home course.
The open starts on March 12.
Padraig Harrington ended a seven-year title drought on the two main tours when he won the Honda Classic in a playoff with American rookie Daniel Berger after a thrilling finish yesterday, Reuters reports.
The victory in the rain-disrupted tournament was sweet for the 43-year-old Irishman, a triple major winner who has plummeted down the rankings and entered the tournament ranked 297th in the world.
Harrington's previous win on either the PGA Tour or European Tour came at the 2008 PGA Championship.
Both players finished on 6-under-par, but Berger found water on the second playoff hole, the par-three 17th, and Harrington two-putted from 60cm after having produced an exquisite iron shot off the tee.
