Golf: Race on for NZ Open berths

2.00pm

Thirty-six professionals will compete along with 26 amateurs for the remaining 25 spots in the field for next week's New Zealand Open golf tournament in Auckland.

The field of 62 will contest the final qualifier at The Grange on Monday, with the top 25 progressing to the Open that begins at nearby Auckland Golf Club (Middlemore) from next Thursday.

The final qualifying field includes professionals from Australia, Canada, the United States and New Zealand up against some of the best amateur talent.

Taranaki's Grant Moorhead will be looking to secure his spot in the field to join fellow professionals Stephen Scahill, Phil Tataurangi and Michael Campbell, who were all members of New Zealand's Eisenhower Trophy-winning amateur side in 1992.

The Eisenhower Trophy has long been a trigger point for leading amateurs to push on to successful professional careers, with five young players contesting their first New Zealand Open after competing strongly in last year's world amateur teams event in Malaysia.

All three members of the New Zealand team will play at the Open -- Eddie Lee and Tim Wilkinson as new professionals and Brad Shilton as one of two amateurs automatically included in the field.

Australians Marcus Fraser and Adam Groom will also contest the Open as new professionals. Groom was fifth in the Open at Paraparaumu last year as an amateur while Fraser won the New Zealand Amateur at Middlemore last year and was the leading individual at the Eisenhower.

A number of talented young New Zealand amateurs will be hoping to follow suit in the final qualifying phase on Monday after a rushed overnight trip from Hastings where they are competing in the New Zealand Under-23 championships.

The draw for the final qualifying round at The Grange Golf Club on Monday (all amateur, all New Zealand unless noted:)

8.00: M Poje (professional, Canada), J Kupa (p)

8.08: J Madden (p, Aus), G Moorhead (p), G Joyner (p, Aus)

8.16: D Kingsbeer (Wellington), G Holder (P), R Backwell (p, Aus)

8.24: D Stubbs (p, Can), J McCarty (p), G Goldfinch

8.32: C Bond (Christchurch), T Morgan (p, Aus), K Wells (p)

8.40: M Giles (p, Eng), C Gaunt (p, Aus), G Kinghorn (Tauranga)

8.48: C Cantwell (p, USA), B Mawhinney (p), A Bartrum (P)

8.56: G Domigan (p, Blenheim), B Lord (p, Aus), S Duff (Hawke's Bay)

9.04: D Barson (p), J Horvath (p, Aus), C Isobe (Korea)

9.12: B Shaw (Hawke's Bay), N Sarkies (p, Aus), M Laird

9.20: A Bain (p, USA), N McCree (p), C Johns (North Harbour)

9.28: R Haywood (Christchurch, W Ormsby (p, Aus), F Schwanner

9.36: D White (p), I Walker (p, Aus), C Osborne

9.44: G Naylor (p, Wellington), B Clark (p), L De Kerillis (p, Kauri Cliffs)

9.52: G Nathan (p), R Kenichi (p, Jap), J Oliver (p, Wellington)

10.00: A Doyle (p, Christchurch), B McIntosh (p, Aus), L Holzer

10.08: T Christie (p, Christchurch), T Hong (Rotorua), J Williamson

10.16: T Ropiha (Manawatu-Wanganui), M Smith (Rotorua), K Chun

10.24: M Holten (Waikato), B McEwan (Otago), J An (Rotorua)

10.32: D James (Wellington), B Iles (Wellington), G Penrose (Hawke's
Bay)

10.40: A Green (Wellington), S Hunt (Rotorua), J Carmichael (North Harbour)


- NZPA