Lydia Ko locks in for return of New Zealand Women's Open

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

The New Zealand Women's Open is back after a 10-year hiatus, and will be headlined by the Olympic champion.

Olympic champion Dame Lydia Ko is set to headline the return of the New Zealand Women's Open in 2027 following a 10-year hiatus.

The championship, presented by Craigs Investment Partners, will be held at Wainui Golf and Function Centre north of Auckland from March 18-21, 2027. The tournament week opens on March 16 with a welcome event, followed by a Pro-Am on March 17.

Ko, a three-time winner of the event, grew up on the North Shore and will return to compete just up the road from her childhood home.

'Playing in front of a home crowd in New Zealand is always something really special to me, and I'm thrilled the New Zealand Women's Open is back,' Ko said.

'To return with the strength of the Ladies European Tour and WPGA Tour of Australasia behind it is fantastic for the game here, and I can't wait to tee it up in March.'

The tournament features a 132-player field competing for a €400,000 purse, which equates to $808,000.

The 2027 tournament is co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and the WPGA Tour of Australasia, marking the first time the event has featured on either circuit's schedule since 2016 and 2017 respectively.

It also marks the first year of a four-year agreement securing the championship on the calendar through to 2030.

The most recent NZWO was the 2017 LPGA Tour co-sanctioned tournament at Windross Farm in Auckland, which was won by Canadian star Brooke Henderson.

Golf New Zealand has secured places in the field for emerging local professionals and amateurs who are not otherwise exempt, including the winner of the New Zealand Maori Golf Association Nationals Wahine title.

Alumni from the Lydia Ko Scholarship mentorship programme have also been offered places to join the international field. These include Ladies European Tour players Amelia Garvey and Momoka Kobori, Epson Tour player Fiona Xu, and NCAA collegiate players Vivian Lu and Eunseo Choi.

The weekend rounds of the championship will be broadcast live to 94 international markets, including New Zealand, showcasing the host venue globally.

Wainui Golf Club, located 20 to 30 minutes north of central Auckland, is a Grant Puddicombe-designed layout that opened in 2016. While the venue previously staged the 2018 Rebel Sport Masters on the PGA Tour of Australasia, the 2027 Open will be the largest tournament in the club's history.

The return of the tournament is delivered with support from New Zealand Major Events, Auckland Council Events, and Tataki Auckland Unlimited.

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said government support through the Major Events Fund reflects the wider economic and tourism value of the event.

'Alongside attracting visitors to see Dame Lydia Ko compete in Auckland, the broadcast coverage will showcase our spectacular golf courses and landscapes to global audiences,' Upston said.

Golf New Zealand chief executive Jeff Latch said the organisation aims to double the number of women and girls playing golf in New Zealand, and events like the Open are central to achieving that goal.

'There is nothing quite like seeing the best players in the world up close,' Latch said. 'We know that for a young girl standing greenside at Wainui, that experience can be the spark that starts a lifelong love of the game.'