Top 10 New Zealand Golfers of All Time – 2025 Edition
New Zealand has produced some of the game’s greats, from major champions to winners across the world’s top tours. This ranking (updated as of September 2025) spotlights the 10 best New Zealand male golfers of all time, their achievements, and their impact on the sport.
-
Grant Waite
Notable wins: 1 PGA Tour (Kemper Open, 1993).
Highlights: 80+ professional top-10s; a regular contender through the 1990s.
Fact: Runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 2000 RBC Canadian Open.
-
David Smail
Notable wins: 5 Japan Golf Tour (including the 2002 Japan Open), 2 PGA Tour of Australasia (including the 2001 New Zealand Open).
Highlights: A force in Japan for nearly two decades; peaked inside the OWGR top 100.
Fact: Two-time Casio World Open champion (2002, 2004).
-
Craig Perks
Notable wins: THE PLAYERS Championship 2002.
Highlights: Won the so-called “fifth major” with a legendary finish (birdie–eagle–par).
Fact: Later a TV analyst in the U.S.; a leading voice for Kiwi golf.
-
Simon Owen
Notable wins: 2 European Tour (German Open 1974; Double Diamond Individual 1976).
Highlights: Runner-up at the 1978 Open Championship (St Andrews) behind Jack Nicklaus.
Fact: A key figure in New Zealand golf during the 1970s.
-
Greg Turner
Notable wins: 4 European Tour.
Highlights: One of the most consistent Kiwis in Europe throughout the 1990s.
Fact: Later an influential golf designer/promoter in New Zealand.
-
Frank Nobilo
Notable wins: 5 European Tour, plus titles in Asia and Australasia.
Highlights: Multiple major top-10s in the 1990s; member of the International Team at the Presidents Cup.
Fact: Well-known Golf Channel analyst.
-
Danny Lee
Notable wins: 1 PGA Tour (Greenbrier Classic 2015); 1 European Tour (Johnnie Walker Classic 2009, as an amateur).
Highlights: 2008 U.S. Amateur champion (then the youngest ever); Olympian (Rio 2016).
Fact: Has competed in LIV Golf since 2023.
-
Steven Alker
Notable wins: 9 PGA Tour Champions (including the 2022 Senior PGA Championship).
Highlights: Charles Schwab Cup champion in 2022 and 2024; 2024 PGA Tour Champions Player of the Year.
Fact: Among the best “second acts” on the senior circuit in the past decade.
-
Ryan Fox
Notable wins: 2 PGA Tour titles in 2025 (Myrtle Beach Classic; RBC Canadian Open); 4 DP World Tour titles (including the 2023 BMW PGA Championship).
Highlights: New Zealand’s current standard-bearer across Europe and the U.S.
Fact: Son of legendary All Blacks player Grant Fox.
-
Michael Campbell
Notable wins: 2005 U.S. Open; 8 European/DP World Tour titles.
Highlights: Also won the 2005 HSBC World Match Play; an icon of New Zealand golf in the 2000s.
Fact: A key inspiration for today’s generation.
-
Sir Bob Charles
Notable wins: 1963 Open Championship; 70+ professional titles worldwide.
Highlights: First left-hander to win a major; multiple Senior Open titles; World Golf Hall of Fame member (2008).
Fact: The pioneering figure of New Zealand golf and a model for generations.
New Zealand’s Golf Legacy
From Sir Bob Charles and Michael Campbell to the modern era of Ryan Fox and Steven Alker, New Zealand has left its mark on majors, the DP World Tour, the PGA Tour, and PGA Tour Champions. A new wave is rising too, with names like Daniel Hillier (2023 British Masters winner) and Ben Campbell (2023 Hong Kong Open), strengthening the future of Kiwi golf.
- Tours & Competitions: DP World Tour, PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, Asian Tour, and PGA Tour of Australasia.
- How to follow them: Official tour websites and apps; players’ social channels; and Golf New Zealand.
