Local numbers in the New Zealand Open golf championship at the Hills course near Queenstown this week swelled by four with a Kiwi quartet clearing the final pre-qualifying round at Christchurch Golf Club today.
Canterbury's top amateur, Sam Ma and professionals Brenden Stuart, Jared Pender and Mike Hendry will tee off among the 156-strong field on Thursday in the opening round of the $US600,000 ($NZ1,198,800) co-sanctioned Nationwide Tour and Australasian Tour event.
Pender, a member of last year's New Zealand world Eisenhower Trophy amateur team, Stuart, who was Wellington's top amateur for several years before turning professional two years ago, and Ma all returned three-under par scores of 69 while Auckland's Hendry, who leads the New Zealand PGA's order of merit shot a two-under 70.
The 10 invites into the field include last Sunday's New Zealand PGA championship winner, Steve Alker, along with fellow Kiwi professionals, Mark Purser, Brad Iles, Grant Moorhead, Troy Ropiha, and Sir Bob Charles.
Charles delighted the big galleries at the last Open 15 months ago when he became the oldest player to make the cut on a major professional tour. He twice beat his age of 71 and equalled it on another occasion.
Also on the invite list are Irish professional Keith Nolan and three leading New Zealand amateurs headed by world No 1 Danny Lee, winner of the recent professional Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth.
New Zealand match play champion, Thomas Spearman-Burn, from Wellington, and Auckland No 1 Ryan Fox, have also received sponsor's invites.
