Inia Logan (Wakatipu Junior) and Fraser MacLachlan (Millbrook) have gained places in the top five of the Otago men's golf team to compete in the triangular tournament on the Otatara course in Invercargill next weekend.
The Otago men's team made the semifinals in the national tournament at North Shore in 2013 and the final at St Andrews in Hamilton last year.
But Otago has lost the services of last year's No2, James Anstiss, who is on a golf scholarship in the United States, and Mark Brooks, who could not pass up the opportunity of a greenkeeping position at Royal Melbourne in Australia.
Logan, at No4, and McLachlan (No5) will join the remaining trio of Brent McEwan (St Clair), Nick Borren (Otago) and Duncan Croudis (Otago) who have been in the two successful teams.
Logan made his mark in the trials, winning both the Wanaka and Cromwell 36-hole tournaments, while MacLachlan won the Queenstown event by two shots from McEwan.
MacLachlan is an experienced campaigner, having played at No2 for Wellington in the 2012 and 2013 Toro interprovincial events.
McEwan will captain the team and play at No1, after blitzing the field at North Otago a week ago.
Borren will play at No2. His trial highlight was a 10-under-par 58 at Roxburgh to take the course record by one stroke from Logan.
Winning at Chisholm Park in a playoff with Brandon Hodgson (Otago) was Croudis' best performance but he is at No3 after losing some form near the end of the trials.
However, none of the leading players can rest on their laurels as there are some well-performed players who could easily make the top five in several events to come.
Hodgson was reserve last year and is once again at No6 after finishing second at Chisholm Links and leading at North Otago at the turn in the final round.
2011 Otago representative Chris Snow (St Clair) is at No7 and has been the most consistent of those outside the top quintet.
Snow, a former premier rugby player for Zingari-Richmond, was third at Roxburgh, fifth-equal at Queenstown and fourth at North Otago.
The final three in the 10-man team are Sungwoo Han (Wakatipu Junior), Ryan Bellamy (St Clair) and Daniel Elder (Otago), but they will have to show some good form to displace any of the top seven.
Otago
Men's teams
Teams (in playing order) to compete in the triangular tournament between Aorangi, Otago and Southland on the Otatara course in Invercargill on October 3 and 4.-
Men: Brent McEwan (St Clair) captain, Nick Borren (Otago), Duncan Croudis (Otago), Inia Logan (Wakatipu Junior), Fraser MacLachlan (Queenstown), Brandon Hodgson (Otago), Chris Snow (St Clair), Sungwoo Han (Wakatipu Junior), Ryan Bellamy (St Clair), Daniel Elder (Otago). Reserve: Scott Hansen (Queenstown).
Under-21: Harry Smith (Otago), Connor Ross (St Clair), Jakob Bleach (St Clair), Connor Jamison (Chisholm Links), Terry Kim (Wakatipu Junior), Zain Pennycook (Lower Waitaki). Reserve: John MacKay (Lower Waitaki).
