Entrants into golf's 2022 New Zealand Open will have the added bonus of playing for a spot at next year's The Open Championship, staged at Scotland's iconic St Andrews.
Confirmed on Thursday, the 102nd edition of the New Zealand Open will be staged from March 31 to April 3, held at Arrowtown's Millbrook Resort.
And as an extra incentive, the tournament also serves as part of The Open Qualifying Series, seeing the top three finishers win a spot in the field for July's British Open.
"It's pretty exciting that our national championship in New Zealand has been given the opportunity to have three places at the 150th milestone playing of The Open," Golf New Zealand chief executive Dean Murphy says.
"We hope that this extra incentive provides those in the field a little more motivation to be at the top of the leaderboard when the final putt is sunk at Millbrook next year.
"All Kiwi golfers have a close affinity with The Open, following Sir Bob Charles' win back in 1963. Today's announcement represents a real opportunity for another Kiwi to compete for the Claret Jug."
Sir Bob Charles was the first and so far only New Zealander to win The Open, defeating American Phil Rodgers, and in doing so became the first Kiwi to win a golfing Major.
The New Zealand Open's confirmation sees the event return after being cancelled this year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
