Golf: Australia's biggest pro-am opens doors to NZ

New Zealand club players will have a chance to play in Australia's biggest pro-am event this year.

The Australian and New Zealand PGAs and Holden have combined to extend the Holden Scramble across the Tasman after 10 years and 450,000 contestants in Australia.

Teams of three players, men or women, at any official handicap level can combine to play in an Ambrose competition, in which the best shots of all team members are used.

The contests will be held at local level throughout the country with the co-operation of clubs, their professionals and the Holden dealer network. The winners will progress to one of four regional tournaments, where they will be joined with their PGA club professional to form a four-person team. An adopt-a-pro system will cover clubs without pros.

From the regional events, representatives will be found for the 54-hole championship final, which will be staged at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast. Finalists will have the chance to play with a top-tour professional in the final round.

The first local tournament will be at Gulf Harbour on June 1, restricted to club members and guests. Other tournaments can be either open to all registered players or restricted in various ways. Regional finals will begin on October 5. There will be an entry fee of around $30 a player and prizes throughout will follow amateur rules.