Those will be showcased when Queenstown, the tourist mecca known for its ski-fields and bungee jumping, hosts the New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort and the Hills Club from March 10 to 13.
“The Open is an integral part of the golf tourism strategy,” said John Hart, chairman of the event’s organizing committee. “It fits because it showcases some great courses and it showcases Queenstown.”
A relationship with Japan’s Golf Tour means 26 of its leading professionals are in this week’s field and there will be live coverage on Japan’s Golf Network to about 8 million homes.
Nine-Foot Horses
Viewers will see players at the Hills negotiate tight gullies and wetlands against a mountainous backdrop, while a series of dramatic sculptures -- such as a herd of 2.7 meter (9 feet) tall, cast-iron horses -- nestle in the tussocks or waterways. The course is owned by businessman Michael Hill.
Japanese companies including Oji Holdings Corp., Sumitomo Forestry Co. and Asahi Group Holdings Inc. are key sponsors. Executives and their guests are able to play in the tournament as amateurs, strengthening business relationships in New Zealand.
Eiichi Ishii, chairman of Tokyo-based Too Corp. and the owner of Millbrook since 1990, is taking over as underwriter of the tournament for the next five years, making Queenstown the probable host in the immediate future, Hart said. The area offers options to expand the event to three international quality courses in close proximity, he said.
“Millbrook and Queenstown make for a wonderful one-stop golfing destination,” Ishii said in an e-mail. “I firmly believe that New Zealand’s number one economic strength will be, and should be, tourism.”