Hole in one for Johnnie Walker at Holden NZ Open

Hole in one for Johnnie Walker at Holden NZ Open

Johnnie Walker Red label is proud to announce its sponsorship of the 2005 Holden New Zealand Open Golf Championship.

Keeping in line with its strong golf association, Johnnie Walker is the official whisky sponsor of what will be the largest golfing event ever to grace our shores.

The Holden New Zealand Open has now joined the European Tour, and in conjunction with the Australasian PGA Tour, Johnnie Walker will be part of taking our Open Championship to the world!

The event will be held in February 2005 at Gulf Harbour on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula with a field that could boast the likes of Nick Faldo, Michael Campbell, Paul Casey and members of the Ryder Cup-winning European Team.

“The appearance of some of these golfing giants is another exciting reminder of the international prestige of the Holden New Zealand Open,” says Scott Fairbairn, NZ Senior Brand Manager for Johnnie Walker.

“The passion and commitment of these players to work hard, set high goals and strive for excellence are fundamental values of the Johnnie Walker brand,” says Scott “and that is why we are so delighted to be associated with the Holden New Zealand Open.”

In the game of golf, there are few brands that can match Johnnie Walker’s association with the sport; the style and excellence of its support of the Holden New Zealand Open is no different.

In 1989, the successful Johnnie Walker Hong Kong Open spawned a new event in Asia: the Johnnie Walker Classic, which was billed as Asia's premier golf event.

The European Tour ventured into mainland Asia for the first time in January 1992 for the Johnnie Walker Classic, which is now jointly owned by Diageo and IMG and is tri-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian Tours. The next Johnnie Walker Classic is in Beijing in January 2005.

This year, the Purse for the 2005 Holden New Zealand Open has grown to NZ$1.5 million, making it the biggest purse ever to be offered in New Zealand.

The Johnnie Walker-sponsored hole at the Holden New Zealand Open will be televised to 22 countries with a potential audience of more than 200 million homes and will also have extensive free-to-air coverage in New Zealand on TV3.

Client hosting facilities and entertainment will be part of the Johnnie Walker sponsorship, making the Johnnie Walker marquee the place to be during the Holden New Zealand Open.

The tournament opens on Monday 7 February 2005 with the annual New Zealand Golf Awards, followed by Pro-Am on Tuesday and practice round on Wednesday 9 February.

The championship proper begins on Thursday 10 February with the final round on Sunday 13 February.

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