Golf: Paula Creamer and Danielle Kang to play at New Zealand Women's Open

NZ Herald·

21 Aug, 2017 07:00 PM2 mins to read

Danielle Kang wins the 2017 PGA Championship. Photo / Getty

Two major winners have been added to an increasingly star-studded field for the New Zealand Women's Open.

American golfers Paula Creamer and Danielle Kang have both signed on to play at the first LPGA tournament to be held in New Zealand.

The NZ$1.85 million event will be staged at the new Windross Farm golf course in Auckland, and is shaping up to be a hotly contested field.

Kang will be one of the favourites, with the world number 20 coming off a breakthrough season where she won her first major at the Women's PGA Championship.

She most recently played her part in the USA beating Europe in the Solheim Cup yesterday, as did Creamer, with the pair both winning three of their four matches.

Creamer will lend name recognition to the event, as one of the most famous and long-tenured female golfers.

Creamer has spent 13 years on the LPGA Tour, winning 10 titles and sitting 10th all-time in career earnings with over NZ$16 million.

While in decent form of late, Creamer hasn't won on Tour since 2014, and has dropped to 112th in the world.

Tournament director Michael Goldstein is pleased to have locked in the two high profile players.

"Paula is one of the superstars of women's golf and it is wonderful that she is coming to New Zealand. As well as being a golfer of the highest level, she is such a respected figure in the sport," said Goldstein.

"Danielle is one of the exciting new wave of young players on the LPGA who is on top of her game after winning the PGA Championship a few weeks ago."

With the additions of Kang and Creamer, the Open will now boast a field with 16 major championships won between them. Yani Tseng (5), Lydia Ko (2) and Brittany Lincicome (2) are all multi-major winners, while Brooke Henderson, Catriona Matthew, Na Yeon Choi, Eun-Hee Ji and Hyo Joo Kim have all also raised a major trophy.