The leading Kiwi amateur golfers face an international onslaught next week at the New Zealand Amateur Championships starting in Christchurch.

There are 18 internationals from Australia, South Africa, Malaysia and Canada entered the week-long championships at the Coringa Country Club, making it the strongest field for the Amateur in more than a decade.

The overseas contingent is led by defending New Zealand amateur champion Mitchell Brown, who was defeated by Tim Stewart in the final of the Australian Amateur Championships in Tasmania recently.

The other leading Australians include Woon Jon Lee, a member of the Asia Pacific team for this 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.

Ben Leong of Malaysia who in April will respresent Asia Pacific in the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy for the second time will be joined by his countryman Mohd Amli Bin Moho Mohiyadeen.

South Africa's Michael Barbeau and Canadian junior champion Rafael Lee are also competing to add to the international flavour of the competition.

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.

There is a capacity field of 156 for the championship, with more than 100 players on a handicap or scratch or better.

The championships start with the foursomes on Sunday, 72-hole strokeplay from Monday 3 to Thursday 6 April and matchplay from Friday 7 April with the final on Sunday 9 April.

Source - NZGA
Photo - Anthony Powter

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