Lydia Ko to Headline Return of New Zealand Women’s Open

After a decade-long absence, the New Zealand Women’s Open is officially making its return—and there may not be a more fitting player to headline the comeback than the dame herself, Lydia Ko.

The Olympic champion, LPGA Hall of Fame member and three-time winner of the event will return home to Auckland for the 2027 championship, which will be played at Wainui Golf Club from March 18-21. The tournament will be co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and WPGA Tour of Australasia, bringing women’s professional golf back to the New Zealand shores.

For Ko, the event carries a little extra meaning. She captured the New Zealand Women’s Open three times as a teenager, including her first title in 2013 at just 15 years old, beginning a historic career that would eventually include two major championships, an Olympic gold medal and a place in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

"Playing in front of a home crowd in New Zealand is always something really special to me," Ko said. "I grew up on the North Shore, so to have an event of this calibre at Wainui, just up the road, makes it feel even more like home."

The 132-player field will compete for a €400,000 purse (approximately $457,000 USD), with spots reserved for some players connected to the Lydia Ko Scholarship mentorship program.

In a lot of ways this feels like a home run event for women's golf and it's impact globally. It's highlighting a hometown hero (and one of the best golfers of her generation), a world-class event, and a new generation of players getting the chance to share the stage with the best in the world.

The 2027 staging marks the first year of a four-year event agreement between the LET and its partners, securing the championship’s place on the calendar through to 2030.