Golf: Kiwi Watch Thu Jun 23

Tim Wilkinson plays his shot during first round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Photo / Getty Images

PGA Tour

This week on the PGA Tour is the Quicken Loans National hosted by the classy Congressional Golf Club.

After the rigors of last week's US Open, players may be able to relax and put some good rounds together and here's hoping Tim Wilkinson can be one of those players. The US Open was Wilkinson's debut Major Championship where he played all four rounds which would have been the initial goal. To achieve that finishing tied 64th will hopefully build his confidence when he returns to the PGA Tour.

Wilkinson has been playing well for a long time now and it would be no surprize to see him feature on the first page of the leader over the weekend.

Danny Lee will not be backing up this week, so it's all eyes on Wilkinson.

LPGA Tour

Lydia Ko will go back to back to back tournament this weekend after entering in the Walmart NZ Arkansas Championship.

Ko has completed two very good campaigns recently after sadly coming second at the KPMG PGA Championship behind a deserving winner in Brooke Henderson, she then followed that up with a tied fourth at last week's Meijer LPGA Classic.

One feels it is only a matter of time before she gets in the winner's circle again. Teeing off tomorrow she is, as always, hot favourite to take home the tittle.

European Tour

After a solid showing at the recent Najeti Open on the Challenge Tour, Fox finished the week in a tie for seventh to record his first top 10 abroad this year.

It was this time in 2015 where he launched into form and qualified for the Open Championship. Has this result done enough to trigger that same trend? We will find out at the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge this weekend.

Fox was in the departure lounge this week as he was third alternate for the main European Tour but he wasn't required to jump on the big bird at late notice, so here's hoping Fox can put back to back results on the board.

Web.com Tour

Josh Geary is without his sidekick Steven Alker this weekend as he competes at the Air Capital Classic.

After missing the cut at last week's Nashville Open, Geary will be looking to bounce back and showcase his talent on the Web.com Tour.

As we all know, it just takes a few good results on tour to get back in contention and build towards the pinnacle golf tour on the planet.

Japan Tour

Michael Hendry is back in the action as we speak on the Japan Tour as he competes at the ISPS Handa Global Cup.

Hendry is starting to put together some successful campaigns and it won't be any different this weekend as he looks for his first win of the away summer.

The race for the final Olympic spot is heating up between Hendry and Fox, so the next few weeks of golf could be vital in their quest of becoming an Olympian.

New Zealand Amateurs

Luke Toomey has been invited to play alongside Michael Hendry at the ISPS Handa Global Cup where he tests himself against some of the best.

Toomey will play in one of his most challenging fields yet with 3-time Major Champion Padraig Harrington and former Masters Champion, Charl Swartzel entered in the tournament. This is a great chance for him to learn from past Major winners as he builds up to the Eisenhower Trophy after being named in the New Zealand three-man side yesterday.

It's a good weekend for those from the Waikato as Chantelle Cassidy is currently competing at the Ladies British Amateur Qualifier at the Dundonald Links where she has made the top 64 of the stoke play leg to qualify for the do or die match play section. Cassidy has also just been named to represent New Zealand for the women's Espirito Santo Trophy in Mexio come September.