KEY POINTS:
National women's amateur golf champion Dana Kim will play in a professional tournament in Japan next month.
The Christchurch golfer has entered for the Suntory Ladies Open at the Rokko International Golf Club on June 12-15, which is part of the Japan LPGA Tour.
New Zealand Golf has
been given an invitation for an amateur to compete in the event for the past four years.
Wellington's Sarah Nicholson, now a professional on the European Tour, competed in 2005 and 2006, when she missed the cut by just one shot, with United States-based Natasha Krishna competing last year.
Kim, 19, has recovered from a hand injury that prevented her from competing in the Tauranga Open this month.
She will join US-based Tammy Clelland and Cathryn Bristow in Japan this week for the Queen Sirikit Cup, starting today.
The New Zealand strokeplay and matchplay champion is back to full fitness as the team complete their final practice round at the Sodegarua Country Club in Chiba.
The 30th Queen Sirikit Cup, involving teams from 14 Asia-Pacific countries including Australia, China, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and New Zealand, is a 54-hole team strokeplay format.
The event was moved to Japan after fears for player safety in Sri Lanka, the original venue for the annual event.
New Zealand will be looking to extend their excellent recent form in the tournament after finishing fourth last year in the Philippines.
* New Zealand's tie with Australia in the junior men's trans-Tasman golf event this month has earned them entry to the World Junior Teams Championship.
With Australia gaining direct entry to the annual championship, New Zealand had to beat their rivals during the trans-Tasman Cup event in Wellington to qualify.
They tied 5-5 after gaining a key foursomes win in the final match and so retained the Clare Higson Trophy for the junior men's competition after winning in 2007 in Canberra.
Organisers have since ruled that this earned New Zealand the invitation to compete in the world championship on June 18-21.
The New Zealand selectors have retained the same team, naming Miramar's Peter Spearman-Burn, national under-23 champion Ben Campbell, of Masterton, Landyn Edwards, of Rotorua, and Akarana's Seve Ha.
- NZPA