NZ Open at a glance

What: The 99th New Zealand Open

Where: The Hills and Millbrook, Arrowtown When: Today-Sunday.

Format: Pro-am. Players alternate between the The Hills and Millbrook for their opening two rounds, before Millbrook hosts the top-60 plus ties for the final two rounds at the weekend.

$1.2 million

Purse:

Five Kiwis to watch:

1. Aucklander Michael Hendry ended a 14-year drought to become the first Kiwi to win the tournament in 14 years last year, and is 16th on the Japan Order of Merit with NZ $670,000.

2. A year after finishing in a share of sixth, Ryan Fox flagged a couple of European Tour events to return home and have another shot at the Brodie Breeze trophy.

3. Fresh off winning the NZPGA Championship in Palmerston North last weekend, Ben Campbell, who came up short in the three-way playoff last year, goes into the tournament in fine form.

4. Steve Alker isn’t coming off his best year, but the four-times PGA Tour of Australasia winner shouldn’t be discounted.

5. With almost NZ $7 million in prizemoney, Tim Wilkinson is competing in the New Zealand Open for the first time in more than a decade.

Three international players to watch:

1. More than $50 million in prizemoney and 20 professional wins make South Korean KJ Choi arguably the highest profile golfer to compete in the NZ Open since Tiger Woods (2002).

2. Aussie Scott Hend is playing some of the best golf of his career, having topped the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2016 and finishing fourth last year. He also won twice on the European Tour last year.

3. Former winner Brad Kennedy (2011) is a consistent performer in the NZ Open, and was on track to win last year’s tournament until he found the drink during the playoff with Hendry and Campbell.