The 2026 New Zealand Open Golf Championship: Results, Course and Format Guide

The New Zealand Open is the country’s national professional golf championship, and the 2026 edition — the 105th staging of the event — ended a nine-year wait for a home winner when Wellington’s Daniel Hillier lifted the historic Brodie Breeze Challenge Trophy at Millbrook Resort near Queenstown. Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia, the tournament pairs a strong international professional field with amateur playing partners across two alpine courses. This guide explains who won and by how much, how the Millbrook layout is set up, how the unusual Pro-Am format works, what the prize money actually was, how the event feeds into The Open Championship, and when the 2027 tournament will be played.

Who won the 2026 New Zealand Open?

New Zealander Daniel Hillier won the 2026 New Zealand Open, finishing at 22-under-par (262) for a two-shot victory over Australia’s Lucas Herbert. Hillier, who was born in Wellington and competes primarily on the DP World Tour, built his win on four rounds of 63, 68, 64 and 67, closing with a bogey-light final round to hold off the chasing pack in front of a home crowd.

The win carried extra weight because a New Zealander had not claimed the national title since Michael Hendry in 2017. Hillier’s rounds were packed with birdies, and his ability to keep bogeys off the card on a demanding composite layout was the difference over 72 holes. Herbert pushed him throughout the weekend but could not close the two-stroke gap on the final day.

Where is the New Zealand Open played?

The New Zealand Open is played at Millbrook Resort near Arrowtown and Queenstown, in the Southern Lakes district of the South Island. Millbrook is a 36-hole property, and the championship uses both of its 18-hole courses: the Coronet course, designed by Scott Macpherson and Greg Turner, and the Remarkables course, designed by New Zealand golfing great Sir Bob Charles. You can read more about the venue in our guide to Millbrook Resort golf.

For the tournament, holes from the two courses are combined into a single championship composite layout playing to Par 71 at roughly 6,961 yards. The setting is dramatic — fairways run between schist rock outcrops, water hazards and the backdrop of the Remarkables mountain range — but the alpine location also brings variable weather that can change the difficulty of a round dramatically.

How the Queenstown conditions affect scoring

Queenstown’s alpine climate is the tournament’s wild card. Calm, clear mornings can produce very low scoring, while wind, rain and cool temperatures can turn the same holes into a stern test. The 2026 event featured showers and cooler conditions across parts of the week, rewarding players who managed their misses and controlled distance rather than simply attacking every pin. Firm, quick greens add another layer, placing a premium on reading pace and leaving the ball below the hole. For wider background on the country that hosts the championship, see this Wikipedia overview of recent New Zealand public affairs.

2026 New Zealand Open final leaderboard

The 105th edition drew a genuinely international field, with strong representation from the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia. The leading finishers are shown below; you can also follow live standings during tournament week through resources on tracking golf leaderboards.

How much was the 2026 prize money?

The 2026 New Zealand Open carried a total prize purse of US$2 million, making it one of the more valuable events on the Asian Tour’s regular calendar. As the champion, Daniel Hillier collected US$195,789, with Herbert taking US$110,947 for second place. The figures below follow the Asian Tour’s official payout, reported in US dollars.

The organisers also confirmed a guaranteed minimum payment for every professional who made the cut, part of an effort to make travelling to the remote South Island venue worthwhile for the wider field rather than only the leaders.

How does the Pro-Am format work?

The New Zealand Open is one of the few professional tournaments built around a Pro-Am format, which is a large part of its identity. For the first two rounds, each professional is grouped with amateur playing partners — often sports figures, business leaders and keen club golfers — and the professionals and the Pro-Am teams effectively play two competitions at once.

A few features define the format:

• The professional and amateur fields are both large; in 2026 the event featured 156 professionals alongside 156 amateurs.
• After 36 holes a cut is applied to the professional field, with the leading players (top 60 and ties in 2026) advancing to the weekend.
• The best Pro-Am teams also progress, so a small number of amateur partners continue into the final stages alongside the professional leaders.
• Amateur team results are based on a net score, which uses each player’s handicap to level the field between players of different abilities.

For amateurs, the appeal is the rare chance to play a genuine championship set-up alongside touring professionals; for spectators, it makes the early rounds unusually social and accessible.

How the New Zealand Open feeds into The Open Championship

The New Zealand Open is part of The Open Qualifying Series, which means it offers a direct pathway into golf’s oldest major. For 2026 the event carried a place in The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July, awarded to the leading eligible finisher who was not already exempt. That status raises the stakes for the international professionals in the field, since a strong week in Queenstown can turn into a major-championship start. To understand how the various professional circuits connect, see our overview of following the PGA Tour and world golf.

Recent New Zealand Open champions

The roll of honour underlines how competitive the event has become, with winners from Australia, Japan and New Zealand in recent years. New Zealand victories in particular have been rare in the modern era.

Since 2000, only four New Zealanders have won their national open, which is why Hillier’s 2026 victory resonated so strongly with local fans. The broader story of the championship is covered on our dedicated New Zealand Open page.

Common misunderstandings about the New Zealand Open

Because the event mixes formats and tours, several details are frequently misunderstood. Clearing them up helps fans follow the tournament accurately.

• It is not a small local event. The New Zealand Open is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia, so the field is genuinely international rather than domestic club golfers.
• Not everyone plays four rounds. A 36-hole cut trims the professional field, and only a limited number of Pro-Am teams reach the final stages, so the weekend field is much smaller than the starting field.
• The purse is quoted in US dollars. The US$2 million prize fund and the individual payouts are reported in US dollars by the Asian Tour, not New Zealand dollars, which is a common source of confusion.
• Both Millbrook courses are used. The championship layout is a composite drawn from the Coronet and Remarkables courses, not a single 18-hole course.
• The Pro-Am is competitive, not just ceremonial. Amateur partners play for a genuine team title using net scores, and the leading teams earn their place into the closing rounds.

What kind of player wins at Millbrook?

The Millbrook composite layout rewards accuracy and course management more than raw power alone. Because the fairways thread between schist outcrops, tussock and water, a wayward drive can leave an awkward stance or a blocked line to the green, so players who keep the ball in play tend to score consistently. Hillier’s winning formula in 2026 was a textbook example: he made plenty of birdies but kept mistakes to a minimum across all four rounds.

Three attributes stand out on this course:

• Distance control. Firm, fast greens punish approaches that finish above the hole, so knowing exactly how far each iron travels matters as much as hitting it far.
• Wind and weather management. The alpine setting can shift from calm to blustery quickly, and the best scorers adapt their targets rather than forcing shots.
• Putting on quick surfaces. Reading pace correctly on Millbrook’s greens is often the difference between a good round and a great one.

These are the same fundamentals that help club golfers everywhere, which is part of why watching the New Zealand Open can be genuinely instructive as well as entertaining.

Following and attending the New Zealand Open

The New Zealand Open is broadcast domestically and streamed to international audiences, so most fans follow it on television or online. For those who want to attend in person, Millbrook Resort sits a short drive from Queenstown, a well-connected tourist hub with an international airport, making the event one of the more accessible professional tournaments in the Southern Hemisphere for visiting spectators.

A few practical points help newcomers plan:

• Timing. The tournament is held in late summer (February–March), typically over four days from Thursday to Sunday.
• Amateur entry. Places in the Pro-Am are limited and sought after, so amateurs interested in playing usually need to arrange entry well in advance through official channels.
• Weekend focus. Because of the 36-hole cut, the strongest professional golf is concentrated over the final two rounds, while the opening rounds showcase the Pro-Am atmosphere.

When is the 2027 New Zealand Open?

The 106th New Zealand Open is scheduled for 25 to 28 February 2027, once again at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown. The tournament is expected to retain its Pro-Am structure and its place within the region’s growing calendar of professional golf, reinforcing the Southern Lakes district as one of New Zealand’s premier golf destinations. Non-exempt professionals will again have a qualifying pathway on offer, and amateur places are typically in high demand well before the event.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who won the 2026 New Zealand Open?

New Zealander Daniel Hillier won the 2026 New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort, finishing at 22-under-par (262) for a two-shot victory over Australia’s Lucas Herbert. It was the first New Zealand win in the event since Michael Hendry in 2017.

How much prize money did the winner receive?

Daniel Hillier received US$195,789 as champion, from a total prize purse of US$2 million. Runner-up Lucas Herbert earned US$110,947. The Asian Tour reports the purse and payouts in US dollars.

Where and on which courses is the New Zealand Open played?

The tournament is held at Millbrook Resort near Queenstown and Arrowtown. It uses a composite championship layout drawn from Millbrook’s two 18-hole courses, the Coronet and the Remarkables, playing to Par 71 at roughly 6,961 yards.

What is the Pro-Am format at the New Zealand Open?

For the first two rounds, professionals are paired with amateur partners who play a team competition using net scores. After a 36-hole cut, the leading professionals and a small number of the best Pro-Am teams continue into the final rounds.

When is the 2027 New Zealand Open?

The 2027 New Zealand Open is scheduled for 25 to 28 February 2027 at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, continuing the event’s long association with the Southern Lakes venue.