KEY POINTS:
Two New Zealanders feature in the top 100 on the world amateur golf rankings launched this month.
Hamilton's James Gill is ranked No 23 and Danny Lee, the Rotorua 16-year-old who won the New Zealand under-23 title on Sunday, is at No 60.
Spain's Pablo Martin heads the rankings, endorsed by the Royal and Ancient Club which controls the sport outside of the United States, following an 18-month trial.
The R&A originally proposed the rankings to clarify entry into its own championships.
The trial went further, and the criteria are now seen as a valid indicator of player rankings throughout the amateur game.
"We are pleased with the way the ranking has developed during this trial period," R&A director Mike Tate said.
"In particular, the level of international support for its adoption has convinced us that it will be seen throughout the golfing nations as an increasingly useful tool and as a way of comparing one elite amateur player against another."
New Zealand tournaments which count towards the rankings are the national, national under-23, North Island and South Island amateur events, the Taranaki Open, Wairakei Open, Wanganui Open and Southland Invitational.
- NZPA