The leading Kiwi golfers will be out to see that one of their own features in the New Zealand amateur championships starting on Sunday in Palmerston North.
Australians have dominated New Zealand's premier amateur championship, winning 11 of the last 20 titles and the last three in a row.
A
squad of nine Australians will play in the eight-day tournament at the Manawatu Golf Club.
It starts with the foursomes competition on Sunday, four days for the New Zealand strokeplay from Monday before three days of matchplay, culminating in a 36-hole final the following Sunday.
The Australians include three members of their national side to contest an upcoming four-nation tournament.
Among them are Marc Leishman and Mitchell Brown, fresh from victory in the Copa Monterrey tournament in Mexico after a playoff with Argentina in the final.
The other leading Australians include Michael Sim, an international since 2002, the experienced Adam Porker, who held the scoring record with an average of 66.7 in 2003 and Queensland's Nathan Uebergang, who became the first Australian to win the Lawnmaster Classic in Palmerston North course last year.
New Zealand players are well positioned to make a strong showing in Manawatu. Leading the way are the inform Waikato pair of Mathew Holten (Te Aroha) and Mark Purser (Hamilton).
Holten has returned to the top of his game with wins in the Australian foursomes and Riversdale Cup competitions to go with his South Island amateur championship. He finished under par in nine of his last 10 tournaments.
Purser has also been consistent across the Tasman this summer, with four top-five finishes.
There will be added interest in the performance of North Island amateur champion Brad Iles (Tauranga), returning to the game just nine months after suffering serious head injuries after a golf cart accident in the United States.
The 103rd amateur championship has attracted 180 players, including 1997 champion Chris Johns (Auckland) and the first father and son combination in recent memory in Jim and Andrew Lapsley (Queenstown).
- NZPA
