It’s been a closely guarded secret for around eight months, but 1 NEWS can reveal golf officials here are working to bring the Presidents Cup to New Zealand.
Work is well underway to submit a bid, with those behind the process in discussions with the PGA Tour, who run the event.
It’s being proposed New Zealand would host it in 2027.
The Presidents Cup is a biennial teams event between the United States and an Internationals team (featuring players from outside Europe, as they play in the Ryder Cup).
Hosting the event would be a significant coup for the sport here – with 24 of the world’s best golfers competing.
Each team is made up of the 10 highest ranked players from their player pool as well as two captain’s picks.
While no course is locked in yet, the venue needs to be big enough and of high enough standing to hold a world class tournament, with thousands of fans expected through the gates.
Central city courses in Auckland stand out, with an obvious target likely to be Royal Auckland and The Grange, which have recently joined together and have a new course under construction.
1 NEWS has spoken to officials from New Zealand Golf who, in a statement, say they are interested in hosting major golf events in the future and is in the early stages of investigating a potential bid for the Presidents Cup.
In a separate statement, the PGA Tour says they are having positive conversations with many different countries, New Zealand included, over future hosting of the Presidents Cup.
D-Day for the New Zealand proposal is likely to be late next month.
It’s understood a delegation of PGA Tour officials will travel from the United States to assess the infrastructure.
A Vancouver bid for the 2023 edition was last year denied due to inadequate infrastructure at the proposed venue.
This year’s edition will be hosted in Melbourne, with the projected teams including Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler for the United States, who will be captained by Tiger Woods.
The Internationals is projected to feature the likes of Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama and Louis Oosthuizen and will be captained by Ernie Els.
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