One golf course, 104 golfers and four precious places in the New Zealand Open at stake.
A handful of Otago players will be chasing a rare prize when the Open qualifying event is played at the Christchurch Golf Club on Monday.
The top four finishers at the Shirley course will earn places in the $1.2 million Open, starting at The Hills course in Arrowtown next Thursday.
The field includes Otago representative Brent McEwan, Millbrook professional Ben Gallie, Wanaka professional Garth Domigan and European Senior Tour player Jim Lapsley.
Domigan is playing in the New Zealand PGA, starting at the Clearwater course in Christchurch today, after being named national club professional champion last year.
Lapsley, of Queenstown, got into the Open the last time it was held at The Hills on a sponsor's invite.
He carded 78-74 and missed the cut.
This time, with the change in co-sanctioning to an Australasian-Nationwide Tour partnership, Lapsley's only hope is likely to be through the qualifying tournament.
Other prominent names in the qualifier include former Asian and European Tour player Marcus Wheelhouse, rising Hawkes Bay professional Doug Holloway, Richard Lee, Brad Shilton and Mathew Holten.
Former New Zealand cricketer-turned-golfer Alex Tait is also in the Christchurch field.
Four entries for the Open have been received from golfers exempt from qualifying: Danny Lee, the star of the moment; Ryan Fox, son of former All Black Grant Fox, who was second on the 2008 New Zealand order of merit; Thomas Spearman-Burn, last year's New Zealand amateur champion; and Troy Ropiha, the leading amateur on the Charles Tour order of merit.
Lee and Sir Bob Charles will likely draw the biggest galleries when the Open starts in the absence of the injured Michael Campbell.
But the field for the Open, to be confirmed over the next few days, will also include many of the American and Australian golfers gathered in Christchurch for the New Zealand PGA.
They include Bob May, the American who memorably took Tiger Woods to a playoff in the US PGA in 2000, PGA Tour veteran Len Mattiace, Australian stalwarts Craig Parry, Peter Senior, Peter O'Malley and Peter Fowler, and Moonah Classic champion Alistair Presnall.
Other leading New Zealand players should include David Smail, Michael Long, Mahal Pearce, Gareth Paddison, Josh Geary and Phil Tataurangi.
