Leading local amateur golfers face an international onslaught at the New Zealand amateur championships beginning on Sunday in Christchurch.
With 16 internationals from Australia, South Africa and Canada lined-up for the week-long championships at Coringa Country Club, the field for the tournament is the strongest in more than a decade.
The overseas contingent is led by defending New Zealand amateur champion Mitchell Brown of New South Wales.
Brown was to play Tim Stewart in the final of the Australian amateur championships in Tasmania today.
The other leading Australians include Woon Jon Lee, a member of the Asia Pacific team for next month's Bonallack Trophy contest against Europe in Auckland, Andrew Martin, the 2004 Australian amateur champion, Scott Arnold, the ACT champion and Steven Dartnell, the Riversdale Cup winner.
South Africa's Michael Barbeau and Canadian junior champion Rafael Lee are also competing.
The leading New Zealanders, Josh Geary and James Gill have returned from the Australian amateur, where they qualified and made it through to the second round of matchplay in Tasmania.
The championships start with the foursomes on Sunday, 72-hole strokeplay from April 3-6 and matchplay from April 7-9.
- NZPA
