The New Zealand Open dates back to 1907 and, for 2025, will provide players with an opportunity to earn a place at The Open Championship.
Among those currently in the field for the tournament, that gets underway on the 27th February to 3rd March, is golf YouTube star Luke Kwon.
Possessing over 300,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, the former Good Good member and PGA Tour China winner is set to make his first professional appearance in four months.
Back in October 2024, the 32-year-old featured at the Black Mountain Championship and also the International Series Thailand on the Asian Tour, firing some fine performances along the way.
At the Black Mountain Championship, Kwon produced three birdies in his final eight holes to make the cut and, although he finished with a two-over-par final round of 74, he claimed a share of 65th place.
The following week, at the International Series Thailand, a one-over score wasn't good enough to make the weekend, but in an event that featured the likes of LIV Golfers Peter Uihlein and Sam Horsfield, it was by no means a poor performance.
Having not played in a competitive environment since, it's unclear as to what form Kwon will be in but, what we do know, is that the South Korean star isn't afraid of winning, as shown last year in August when he became the inaugural winner of the PGA Tour Creator Classic.
Following on from the success of the tournaments, the PGA Tour announced that there is set to be three 'creator' events during PGA Tour weeks in 2025 as the circuit continues to lean into the influencer space. Given that Kwon was the first ever winner, it seems justified that he will be present for some, if not, all of the upcoming tournaments held by the PGA Tour.
