Announced today by the PGA of New Zealand, the Holden New Zealand PGA Championship is set to return to the PGA Tour of Australasia for the 2015 season.

After an absence of over seven years, top drawer professional golf is set to return to Auckland, with the Holden New Zealand PGA Championship choosing the city as its long term home.

The Holden New Zealand PGA Championship, with prize money of NZ$125,000, will be played at the Remuera Golf Club from 5-8 March 2015, one week prior to the New Zealand Open in Queenstown.

"We’re delighted to bring a tournament of this calibre to Auckland and to be associated again with Holden New Zealand in a major golf event," said Duncan Simpson, CEO of the PGA of New Zealand.

"Playing it back to back to the New Zealand Open will help ensure a strong field for both events."

"We are also excited about the potential to grow the Holden New Zealand PGA Championship to become a highlight of the Auckland sporting calendar, providing unique corporate hosting and relationship building opportunities." 

"The excellent facilities at Remuera Golf Club, and its accessibility and proximity to the CBD, mean that this will be a tournament with a strong corporate and community focus."

Holden General Marketing Manager Marnie- Jane Samphier endorsed these comments.

"We are thrilled to be involved again with the PGA of New Zealand in staging a golf tournament of this calibre," she said. 

"We’re looking forward to re-connecting with our many friends throughout the local golfing community." 

"Holden has a long history of supporting golf in New Zealand, and over the coming months we’ve got some exciting plans to take golf to every corner of New Zealand in a fun and engaging way with the help of our Holden Dealer network."

Remuera Golf Club Captain Rex Howe is also enthusiastic about the potential of the event in the Auckland golf scene and wider afield.

"Remuera has hosted a number of top level events over the years, including the 1994 New Zealand Open," he said. 

"The club is currently working through a comprehensive course redevelopment programme which will further enhance its championship qualities over the next two to three years." 

"We are proud to have been chosen as the venue for the Holden New Zealand PGA Championship, and look forward to working with our fellow clubs and the Auckland golf community to build a truly iconic event."

Played since 1920, the New Zealand PGA Championship has been one of the local golfing calendar’s most prestigious events, and a key stop on the PGA Tour of Australasia. 

It has featured household names such as Andy Shaw, Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Sir Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, John Lister, Frank Nobilo, Greg Turner and Michael Hendry as champions over the years.

For many years it was played at Mount Maunganui, coinciding with the New Year holiday, but in
recent years it moved to the South Island, firstly to the Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch, and then in 2012 & 2013 to The Hills Golf Club in Queenstown, where the event was played in a unique pro-am format.