Leading Kiwi golfers face another stern international challenge when they tee off in the New Zealand Amateur Championships in Dunedin this week.

A full field of 120 players includes 20 internationals from Australia, Canada, and Malaysia for the week-long tournament which begins with the foursomes competition.

Many of the overseas players have remained from this week's Four Nationals tournament in Christchurch, which was claimed again by the Australian combination.

The players will have to contend with the considerable demands presented by the seaside links course at Chisholm Park, venue of the national amateur championships for the first time. The course is long and like most links courses, it has unforgiving rough, and can be cruelly difficult in windy and cool conditions.

All members of the New Zealand team will compete this week, with Bradley Illes the only current player from last year's semifinals to return. The Wellington player, who was the beaten finallist in the Australian Amateur Championships two weeks ago, made the semifinals last year.

His fellow New Zealand representative Brad Shilton, the only surviving member of last year's Eisenhower Trophy team, will defend his strokeplay title won last year.

The players take part in the foursomes competition on Sunday, with strokeplay starting on Monday. There is one round on Monday and Tuesday before the top 64 players qualify for the final 36 holes strokeplay on Wednesday.

Matchplay begins with one round on Thursday, two on Friday, 36 holes semifinals on Saturday and 36 hole final on Sunday 13th April.

Source - NZGA

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