The New Zealand Open received a boost yesterday with a major winner signing up along with two top New Zealanders.
South Korea's YE Yang, the first Asian-born male to win a major, will play at the open in Queenstown next March.
For Yang, known as The Tiger Killer after his victory over Tiger Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship, it will be a return to New Zealand after he played here when he was developing his game.
The open is scheduled for Millbrook Resort and The Hills on March 9-12 next year.
Yang has enjoyed 11 victories as a professional over the past two decades, and has amassed more than $15 million in prize money around the globe, having played on the PGA Tour, the European Tour, the Japan Golf Tour and the Asian Tour.
His involvement in the 98th New Zealand Open brings his career full circle, after the South Korean ventured to this country for several years to hone his skills before turning professional in 1996.
Tournament director Michael Glading said to have a recent major winner play at the open was a coup.
Yang is self-taught, moving to New Zealand as a 21-year-old after working in the construction industry and after completing his military service.
He played golf on and off in New Zealand for four years as he honed his game.
In 2009 he had a breakthrough win at the Honda Classic and then later that same year he secured a brilliant three-shot win in the 91st PGA Championship. It was the first time that Woods had not won a major when leading after 54 holes.
Yang missed more than three months last year because of a neck injury but is back to full health.
Also confirmed are two of New Zealand's leading professionals, Ryan Fox and Michael Hendry, both coming off their best 12 months in the game.
Fox (29) has gained his full playing card for the European Tour after finishing fourth on the Challenge Tour while Hendry has enjoyed a brilliant season on the Japan Golf Tour, sitting 11th on the rankings with earnings of NZ$700,000 on the back of six top-10 finishes, including five in a row.
Both men are keen to break the drought of a home town win at the open,. The most recent was in 2003 by Dunedin's Mahal Pearce.
