Golf: Classy Australians in amateur champs field

A classy field of Australasian golfers will play in the 99th New Zealand Amateur Golf Championships at Mt Maunganui next week.

The handicap index cut-off was a record 1.1, with current national strokeplay champion Tim Wilkinson of Palmerston North's Golf City Club the low marker of the 116-strong field on +3.1.

The left-hander heads a strong Kiwi challenge which features Bay of Plenty No 1 and defending champion Eddie Burgess, alongside New Zealand's top-ranked player Garreth Paddison of Wellington.

North Harbour's Chris Johns, a winner in 1997, and Waikato's Brad Shilton are also likely to figure, Shilton having tasted success at the Mount this year in the Grant Clements Memorial Trophy.

The Australian charge will be led by 1999 winner Andrew Duffin, last year's losing finalist Andrew Webster and Stephen Bowditch.

Joining the visitors are Queenslanders Matt Ballard, Gavin Hills, Jeremy Longdale and Andrew Lee.

There will be 17 local players taking part with the winning Bay of Plenty combination at the Southland Invitational - Burgess, Kent Skellern, George Kinghorn, Mark Smith and Sam Hunt - expected to feature.

Play starts tomorrow with two rounds of foursomes for the amateur foursomes championship.

- NZPA