Australian celebrity Deborah Hutton playing for Hilton

Media Release: February 18 2013

Australian celebrity Deborah Hutton playing for Hilton Queenstown in the NZ PGA Championship

Australian media presenter Deborah Hutton is representing Hilton Queenstown in the NZ PGA Championship at The Hills in Queenstown later this month.

The four-day PGA Tour of Australasia tournament will run from Thursday February 28 to Sunday March 3 featuring celebrities such as Sir Ian Botham, golf sensation Lydia Ko and Olympic rowing champion Mahe Drysdale playing alongside pros including Hale Irwin, Japan’s Toshinori Muto, Brendan Jones and Michael Hendry.

Deborah Hutton joins team Hilton Queenstown alongside former All Black and sports commentator Justin Marshall, and Hilton Queenstown general manager Andrew Nisbet.

Hugely popular and well-known Australian personality Deborah Hutton first appeared on the cover of Australian Cosmopolitan at 16, leading to an international modelling career in Germany, Italy and New York and many hosting, presenting and ambassador roles in Australasia.

The keen golfer, who plays off a 20 handicap and has been playing the game for around 12 years, said she was “enormously” looking forward to returning to Queenstown for the first time in a number of years to play Sir Michael Hill’s course.

“What a great privilege to come along and play an NZ PGA tournament of this calibre on a course that I’ve heard about from many golfers and has been on my ‘to do’ list for some time,” she said.

Jokingly describing herself as “a hack” on the course she said she got into golf as a way of escaping a health farm experience.

“I went off to have my first lesson and discovered a great social game, and a game for life!” Hutton said.

Ms Hutton said playing golf combined with superb food and wine were the “perfect ingredients” for a great holiday.

“I haven’t been to Queenstown for a few years so I just can’t wait to stay at Hilton Queenstown, an extraordinary, iconic property with a unique lakefront position, great service, food and an amazing spa. It’s going to be seriously fabulous,” Hutton said.

Andrew Nisbet, general manager, Hilton Queenstown said “I am thrilled to welcome Deborah to our team and wish her the best of luck in the NZ PGA Championship. Deborah is an ideal ambassador for Hilton Queenstown and we are looking forward to welcoming her to Queenstown in February.”

For more than a decade Deborah Hutton represented the Myer Grace Bros Department store group as national ambassador and spokesperson, and since 1994 she has presented, hosted and appeared as a reporter or contributor in a number of top-rating TV shows including Looking Good, Location Location, Amazing Homes, Celebrity Overhaul, and the weight loss series BIG.

She has been an editor for The Australian Women’s Weekly, an ambassador for Qantas, launched her own homewares range, created her own brand of eyewear and in 2012 founded ‘Balance by Deborah Hutton’, an on-line community designed to help women with practical advice around maintaining balance in their life.

Tickets for the NZ PGA Championship are just $55 for the season (all four days), $20 a day for Thursday and Friday, and $30 a day Saturday or Sunday. Children aged 10 to 17 are $15 for Saturday only (free all other days), and youngsters under 10 are free of charge.

A Saturday evening concert, free to ticket holders, will showcase the talents of Kiwi songbird Jamie McDell and talented local band The Lynch Mob. Entertainment area The 19th will feature an extensive array of regional food, wine, merchandise and daily entertainment.

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