Invercargill Golf Club will host a new stop on the Charles Tour later this year. The tournament will head to Invercargill from December 17-19, marking the first time the Charles Tour has ventured to Southland. The 54-hole tournament carries a purse of at least $50,000. Golf New Zealand general manager championships and golf operations Dave Mangan is excited to bring the tour to the Deep South, after Invercargill hosted the New Zealand Amateur Championship in 2025. “We have been looking to bring a Summerset Charles Tour event further south than Christchurch for several years now,’’ Mangan said. “I have no doubt that they will put on a great event with their famous southern hospitality for our leading domestic professionals and elite amateurs.” Invercargill general manager Boston Walker looked forward to hosting the tour for the first time. “It’s a special moment for golf in our region,’’ Walker said. “Southland has a deep love for the game, and top-level professional tournaments rarely come this far south, making this event genuinely significant for our golfing community. “Welcoming the Charles Tour is a powerful step forward for golf in Southland. It gives our players, families, juniors, and supporters the chance to experience professional golf right here at home, and it shines a national spotlight on our course, our club, and our region.” Founded in 1897, Invercargill Golf Club is one of New Zealand’s oldest golf clubs and long regarded as one of the finest in the South. The club hosted the New Zealand Open in 1960, won by Peter Thompson, and was permanent host of the SBS Invitational, a 72-hole amateur stroke play championship involving all 15 districts, from 1977 to 2012. Frank Nobilo, Craig Perks, Michael Campbell and Ryan Fox all competed at Invercargill before turning professional, underlining its pedigree as a proving ground for the country’s top talent. — Allied Media
