Women’s Open Singles fully subscribed for 19–20 September
The draw is locked in, and the countdown is officially on for the 2026 Women’s Open Singles.
A full field of 96 players will take to the greens on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, split across 24 sections of four as the country’s last open women’s singles event (other than nationals) is locked in and returns for another year.
The final field features players representing 12 New Zealand Centres, plus one Australian competitor. Host centre Auckland fields the majority with 49 players (51%), followed by North Harbour with 18, Northland with six and Bay of Plenty with five. Taranaki, Thames Valley and Waikato each send three players, while Counties Manukau, Far North and Wellington have two apiece. From further afield, Canterbury and Kapiti are also represented, while Margaret Hill crosses the Tasman from Victoria, becoming the event’s first international entrant.
At club level, the 96 players represent 49 different clubs. Royal Oak leads the charge with 10 entries, Howick follows with seven, while Carlton Cornwall, St Heliers and Bowls Kensington each have five.
Four former Women’s Open Singles champions are back chasing another title, carrying six previous wins between them. Defending champion Lisa White of Raumati returns in Section 9 after claiming the 2025 crown, while Jessie Macaw of Tairua, the 2024 champion, starts in Section 23. They are joined by 2019-20 champion Selina Goddard and three-time winner Elaine McClintock, who lifted the trophy in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2012-13.
One player with unfinished business is Kimberley Hemingway. The now Royal Oak bowler has reached the final in each of the past two years, finishing runner-up to Macaw in 2024 and White in 2025. She begins her latest campaign in Section 19.
There is plenty of emerging talent too. The field includes 14-year-old Lilly Wesche, 16-year-old Christian-ly Filipo and current Auckland Centre Singles champion Hannah Dawson, alongside Henrietta Scott and Nicole Singer in the under-26 ranks.
With established champions, rising stars, and players travelling from across New Zealand and beyond, each of the 24 sections offers its own challenge.
The names are in. The sections are set. Now the road to the 2026 Women’s Open Singles title begins.
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