The lineup for the New Zealand Open at Paraparaumu next month includes golfers who share 13 previous wins of the title.
The nine New Zealanders and Australians who have previously won the event lead the best field for a decade, says tournament director Phil Aickin.
Four-times champion Sir Bob Charles leads the list of previous winners. The others are two-times winner Greg Turner, fellow Kiwis Matthew Lane, Michael Campbell and David Smail, and Australians Peter Fowler, Craig Jones, Lucas Parsons and Peter O'Malley.
Aickin says the number of top-ranking New Zealanders and Australians on the list of 126 players released yesterday will mean a high standard of competition.
The remaining 18 spots will be decided from the final qualifying tournament at the Waikanae Golf Club on January 7, three days before the Open starts.
Competition for those spots begins with three pre-qualifying tournaments in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland on Monday.
"I'm impressed with the depth in the field," said Aickin.
"It's the deepest field we have had for a number of years with some very talented and experienced Australians and seven Americans."
Leading the way are two outstanding Australians, Craig Parry and Peter Senior, who have 36 career victories between them. Parry is ranked in the top 100 players in career earnings on the US PGA Tour with US$4.5 million ($10.4 million). Senior has earned A$3 million ($3.7 million), much of it with the aid of his trademark Broomstick putter.
The field was robbed of one former New Zealand Open champion when 1976 winner Simon Owen was forced to withdraw yesterday with a niggling injury.
The leading contenders to be the fifth New Zealander in a row to win the Open are Smail (2001 at The Grange), Campbell (2000 at Paraparaumu), Lane (1998 at Formosa), and Turner (1997 at Middlemore).
The 126 players named yesterday (all Australian unless stated):
Steven Alker (NZ), Mark Allen, Brad Andrews, David A Armstrong, Jason Ashcroft, Richard Backwell, Malcolm Baker, Eddie Barr (Ire), Rhys Bishop (NZ), Andrew Bonhomme, Elliot Boult (NZ), Steven Bowditch, David Bransdon, Carl Brooking (NZ), Mark Brown (NZ), Andrew Buckle, Ben Burge, Pat Burke (US), Marcus Cain, Michael Campbell (NZ), Craig Carmichael, Tony Carolan, Roger Chapman (UK), Bob Charles (NZ), Tony Christie (NZ), Blair Clark (NZ), Michael Clayton, Peter Cliff, Gavin Coles, Steve Collins, Steven Conran, Justin Cooper, Adam Crawford, Jason Dawes, Paul Devenport (NZ), David Diaz, Grant Dodd, Chris Downes, Martin Doyle, Kenny Druce, Andrew Duffin, Matthew Ecob, Tim Elliott, Kim Felton, Peter Fowler, Adam Fraser, Ben Gallie (NZ Am), Scott Gardiner, Nathan Gatehouse, Bob Gazzie (US), David Gleeson, Chris Gray, Nathan Green, Ryan Haller, Scott Hend, Sam Hunt (NZ Am), John Inman (US), Chris Johns (NZ Am), Craig Jones, Brendan Jones, Brad Kennedy, Neil Kerry, Brad King, Jason King, Douglas Labelle (US), Brad Lamb, Matthew Lane (NZ), Adam Le Vesconte, Stephen Leaney, Richard Lee (NZ), Eddie Lee (NZ Am), Michael Light, Stuart Malcolmson (NZ), Leigh McKechnie, David McKenzie, James McLean, Peter McWhinney, Tony Meyer, Grant Moorhead (NZ), Jarrod Moseley, Marcus Norgren (Swe), Brett Ogle, Nick O'Hern, Peter O'Malley, Gareth Paddison (NZ), Greg Padilla (US), Anthony Painter, Craig Parry, Lucas Parsons, Brett Partridge, Adrian Percey, Craig Perks (NZ), Wayne Perske, Matthew Peter (NZ Am), David Podlich, Ewan Porter, Tod Power, Terry Price, Wayne Riley, Brett Rumford, Kenichi Ryu (Jap), Stephen Scahill (NZ), Peter Senior, Paul Sheehan, Brad Shilton (NZ Am), Alistair Sidford (NZ), Gary Simpson, David Smail (NZ), Wayne Smith, Craig Spence, Ed Stedman, Andre Stolz, Scott Strange, Anthony Summers, Shane Tait, Andrew Tschudin, Greg Turner (NZ), John Wade, Jeff Wagner, Euan Walters, Marcus Wheelhouse (NZ), Tim Wilkinson (NZ Am), Mark Wilson (US), Tiger Woods (US), Van Wright (Sam), Michael Wright.