Amateurs paired with professionals at the weekend, playing two-ball, best-ball for the associated Pro-Am Championship.
A few international guest players will rub shoulders with the usual suspects at the New Zealand PGA at The Hills later this month.
Korean-born American Jay Choi, Melbourne-based Korean Jin Jeong and China's Zhang Xin Jun will tee off at the revived tournament, which for the first time features an associated pro-am.
Choi (28) is the only player to have made it from stage one of qualifying school to the top 25 on the money list in the same year on the Japan Golf Tour.
He was born in South Korea but was raised in California and then attended the University of New Mexico.
Choi, who at one stage was ranked one of the top 200 golfers in the world, finished 17th on the Japanese money list in 2010 and 28th last year.
Jeong (22) is something of a rising star.
He was the No 1 amateur in the world for parts of 2010, the year he won the British amateur championship, and was the low amateur with a stunning tie for 14th at the British Open.
Jeong also played in the Masters last year.
Zhang (24) finished 13th in the HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championship event, last year.
New Zealand PGA organisers confirmed the field for the Australasian Tour-sanctioned tournament yesterday, though most of the significant names had already been revealed.
Australian Brendan Jones, who finished last year ranked the 80th best golfer in the world, is the top-ranked player.
Veteran South African David Frost, a 10-time winner on the US PGA Tour, is also on his way, as are regular Australian visitors Craig Parry, Peter O'Malley, Peter Fowler and Terry Pilkadaris.
The New Zealand charge will be led by Josh Geary, David Smail, Mark Brown, Mahal Pearce, Phil Tataurangi, Ryan Fox and the in-form Gareth Paddison, while Queensland's Adam Crawford comes to Arrowtown with his first professional victory, the New South Wales Open, in the bag.
Another Australian to watch is Scott Arnold, the former world No 1 amateur who won his first big title, the Victorian Open, earlier this summer.
The big name in the pro-am field will be rising New Zealand women's star Lydia Ko, with fellow amateurs Ben Campbell and Vaughan McCall listed for the full championship.
The professional field looks roughly as strong as that which competed in the New Zealand Open at Clearwater last year.
It does not possess real star power - though movie fans will be excited about seeing Academy Award-nominated actor Don Cheadle in the pro-am - nor does it have the tier of rising American stars that lit up The Hills over the last two Nationwide Tour-sanctioned New Zealand Opens.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of quality players on their way, and organisers believe it is one of the strongest fields for a tournament with comparable prize money on the Australasian Tour in recent years.
"The quality of the field is certainly a testament to the hard work being put into the event by the PGA of New Zealand and is a great sign for golf in the region," PGA of Australia chief executive Brian Thorburn said.
New Zealand PGA boss Duncan Simpson said he was delighted to see his organisation associated again with a major tournament after a two-year hiatus.
"There's no doubt the innovative format and the venue have given the tournament a new lease of life," Simpson said.
"The Hills is a course that creates excitement and anticipation for players and spectators alike as soon as you walk in the gate, and the blend of amateurs, professionals and celebrities will make it a unique experience for everyone."
The demand for places in the 132-strong field means about 80 golfers will have to pre-qualify for 10 available places at either Millbrook or Titirangi on March 26.
NZ PGA
The Hills
• Dates: March 29 to April 1.
• Prize money: $500,000.
• Golfers: 132 professional, 64 amateur.
vFormat: Professionals play Thursday and Friday, top 60 plus ties making the cut to play for the New Zealand PGA Championship on Saturday and Sunday.
