The Hills' pro-am draws a top-class field

The Hills' pro-am draws a top class field

By Neville Idour

The Hills Invitational Pro-Am has drawn the strongest possible field. Sir Michael Hill’s iconic course in Arrowtown will again stage this two day event from December 17-18.

With the involvement of Rolls Royce as a first time sponsor, prizemoney has been boosted from $50,000 to $70,000 for the 21-man field. 

Next to the New Zealand Open and New Zealand PGA Championship, it is now the most lucrative event on the New Zealand calendar, especially given the number sharing the pool. 

The only notable absentee is Ryan Fox who, after a hugely successful year, is taking a much needed holiday break before heading to the Middle East on January 15 to kick off the 2023 year.

Headlining The Hills’ field will be Daniel Hillier who gained his DP World Tour card after a successful 2022. Defending titleholder Nick Voke will be hoping to repeat that effort after a mixed season on the Korn Ferry Tour in the United States. 

Previous winner Dongwoo Kang (Auckland) will be looking to be in the mix on a course he likes very much while former DP World Tour player Josh Geary, who was in excellent form finishing sixth at the recent Australian Open, can also be expected to make a strong showing.

Several in the field have been playing in Australia recently with mixed fortunes. Hillier, Voke, Luke Toomey, former New Zealand Open winner Michael Hendry, Ryan Chisnall, Kieran Muir and former Hills' winners Harry Bateman and Australian Jordan Zunic are all capable of winning.

The two day pro-am format sees three Hills club members joining a professional in a separate team event. The format has been hugely successful and proves to be a year’s highlight for those involved.