Golf: New Zealand Women's Open won't go ahead in 2019

Canadian Brooke Henderson won the inaugural New Zealand Women's Open in 2017. Photo / Photosport

The New Zealand Women's Golf Open will not go ahead as planned in February next year, with tournament organisers now working alongside the LPGA Tour for a 2020 event.

After a successful debut in 2017, New Zealand Golf had been planning to host another LPGA-sanctioned event in Auckland early next year.

However with the title sponsor, McKayson, no longer putting their name to the tournament, organisers have had to pull the pin for the time being, with the event not being commercially viable without a global naming sponsor.

The goal for New Zealand Golf and competition promoters, The Clubhouse, now is to work with the LPGA Tour on getting a New Zealand-based tournament onto the schedule in earl 2020.

"The 2017 New Zealand Women's Open was a historic occasion for golf in New Zealand," New Zealand Golf chief executive Dean Murphy said.

"Bringing the LPGA Tour to New Zealand is a huge undertaking which requires significant commercial support from tournament sponsors. While the 2017 event was an unqualified success, we need to make prudent and financially sensible decisions for future events. We look forward to continuing to work with The Clubhouse and having the LPGA Tour return in the future."