Closed field for NZ Open

New Zealand Open officials are resigned to having a depleted field for next year’s tournament as they look to push ahead with the country’s premier golf event despite border restrictions on international visitors. After being cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Queenstown event was again plunged into doubt following the Government’s announcement last week that the border would not open to fully vaccinated foreign nationals until April 30. The NZ Open is scheduled to take place at Millbrook Resort between March 31 and April 3. A statement from the organising committee said they were ‘‘fully committed’’ to holding the tournament in 2022. The NZ Open has been placed on the Government Approved event list but, while it’s possible for some international players to attend, tournament chairman John Hart conceded the need to selfisolate for seven days without access to practice facilities makes their involvement unlikely.