From the recently simmering ashes of the NZ PGA Championship has risen the NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship, a new tournament to be staged at The Hills for at least the next five years.
The tournament is based on an Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Pebble Beach Pro-Am style.
The professionals will play for the NZ PGA Championship over four rounds, as per usual, but the 64 who make the cut will be paired together with invited amateurs and celebrities for the NZ PGA Pro-Am title over the last two days.
It will initially become part of the Australasian PGA Tour with total prize money of $500,000, an almost identical figure to last week's New Zealand Open at Clearwater.
The inaugural event takes place between March 29 and April 1 in Queenstown.
It is not only a return for the NZ PGA after an absence on the 2011 calendar but also for The Hills, which hosted the New Zealand Open in 2010.
"Several years ago I was lucky enough to play in the Dunhill and I absolutely loved it - the combination of getting to play alongside some of the world-s best golfers and well known celebrities in the heat of a professional tournament was an amazing opportunity," NZ PGA Pro-Am organising committee chairman John Hart said.
"The NZ PGA and The Hills believe that this format will be very attractive in New Zealand, promoting the game of golf and providing excellent leverage opportunities for both business and tourism at home and abroad."
Sir Michael Hill, the jewellery magnate owner of The Hills added: "We have been delighted with the support we have received from both the private and the public sector and look forward to working with our partners to develop an iconic event that New Zealanders can be proud of in one of the world-s finest tourist destinations, Queenstown."