Nick Borren (Otago) has continued his recent good form to qualify for a start in the New Zealand Open which begins at the Hills and Millbrook in Arrowtown this week.
Borren scored a five-under-par 67 to join New Zealand professional James Beale as the pair to go forward to the main event.
Korean professional Dong Min Lee was in the last playing group and came in with a four-under 68 to be the first alternative player who will get a start if there are withdrawals.
Otago's other leading prospect, Duncan Croudis, finished two shots off the pace, along with Oscar Cadenhead (Clearwater), but lost the playoff to a birdie 3 to become the third alternative player.
Borren led the first qualifying tournament at Chisholm Park last month and won the Otago strokeplay title in February.
Yesterday he turned four under par, with birdies on the first two holes as well as the par 5 fourth and the par 4 eighth.
On the homeward run Borren posted eight pars with a birdie 3 on the 16th in his bogeyless round.
Beale also turned four under with birdies on one, four, seven and nine and made three more birdies on the back nine.
His round was marred with early bogeys on 10 and 12 on the homeward run.
Lee made six birdies in his 68 but back-to-back bogeys on the fifth and sixth cost him a place in the Open field.
Croudis also made six birdies in his two-under 69 but he also bogeyed the fifth and sixth holes to slip off the pace.
In sharp contrast, Cadenhead lost ground early with bogeys on the first and sixth holes but turned even after birdies on the fourth and seventh.
Four birdies on the back nine put him into a playoff with Croudis for the second reserve.
Borren and Beale will join six golfers from the other qualifying tournament, which was held on the Royal Auckland course yesterday.
