Tournament director Michael Glading said he was delighted to capture another of the world’s form players to compete in Queenstown.
“To have two recent tournament winners in Wade Ormsby [Hong Kong Open winner] and Lucas Herbert [Dubai Desert Classic winner] is a real plus for our tournament,” Glading said.
“Both of these players have access to a European Tour event in Oman the same week, but have chosen to come and compete here, which says a lot for the rising stature of our event.
“I have been watching the progress Lucas has been making since he started on the European Tour, and his win last week, resulting in his rise to No79 in the world rankings, shows just how much he has improved in two short years.”
Herbert (24) was excited to be heading to Queenstown for the tournament.
‘‘I’m really looking forward to returning to Queenstown. My win in Dubai last week was very exciting and hopefully I can continue that form in the stunning backdrop of Queenstown.”
With just under a month to go, the field is taking shape, with more announcements expected over the next two weeks.
Glading remains confident the tournament will host greater player depth than before. Players from the Asian Tour and the Japan Tour are due to be finalised within the next few days.
- New Zealander Ryan Fox has fired an opening round 4-under-par 66, which has him tied for eighth in the latest European PGA event in Saudi Arabia, RNZ reports.
He is two shots behind the leaders Graeme McDowell, of Britain, and Malaysian Gavin Green.
