Golf: Shin among 221 players chasing NZ Open berths

Talented teenage golfer Sam Shin will be out to beat his coach and realise a dream to play in next month's New Zealand Open.

Shin, who won the North Island Under-19 title last week, is one of 221 players who will contest the regional qualifying round in four New Zealand venues on Friday.

The 15-year-old from North Harbour will compete in the qualifier at North Shore Golf Club, where he will compete with his coach, professional Karl West - also attempting to qualify for the Open at Gulf Harbour from February 10-13.

Thirty players in total will progress from the regional rounds at North Shore GC, Manukau GC, Royal Wellington GC and Christchurch GC on Friday.

Shin showed some of his potential when he finished runner-up in the Junior British Open in UK last year as a 14-year-old.

He returned to be selected for the New Zealand Under-18 team where he was unbeaten in the Trans-Tasman clash against Australia in December.

Sixty-eight players are currently lining up for the North Shore event with a projected nine players to advance to the final qualifier.

The biggest regional is at Manukau GC where 86 players will vie for 12 places.

They include Rotorua's Terry Hong and Taupo's Jason McIntosh, both members of the interprovincial-winning Bay of Plenty team.

Thirty-six players will compete in the Wellington regional, which has been moved from Hutt GC to Royal Wellington at Heretaunga after recent flooding while 31 players will seek an anticipated four spots in the South island regional at Christchurch GC.

The 30 players from the regional rounds will join an approximate 30 players who are exempt, to the final qualifying at Auckland Golf Club on February 7.

From there approximately six spots will be available to the Open.

A second final qualifier will be staged in Melbourne where an expected 40-50 players will be chasing four places in the final field on February 2.

- NZPA